Super Rich Kids
by SoBeyondTwisted
Summary: Lacey Porter is the Daughter of a Former Pro Football Player. Danny Desai is the heir to the most recognized hotel chain across North America. Danny just completed a stint in rehab for 'Exhaustion' How will the kids at school welcome him back on his first day? Will he even have any friends to come back to? More importantly will he make a new one in Lacey Porter?
1. Guess Who's Back?

**Story inspired by (Twisted of course) concept of story partially inspired by Frank Ocean and the anon on tumblr who gave me the idea of making Danny an heir to an hotel chain. Thnx Anon ;)**

**Guess Who's Back?**

"Mom I can't find my new Louboutin Mary Jane Pumps" Lacey said yelling from her closet as she searched through her extensive shoe collection. Lacey had two walls in her closet dedicated for just her designer shoes. Lacey knew she was kind of obsessive when it came to foot wear but she couldn't help it. Whenever she saw a shoe sale, she just had to take advantage of it. It was only right, she was actually saving her parents money in the long run by catching the latest deals.

"I just bought them two days ago" Lacey whined as her mom entered her closet. Today was the very first day of her senior year of high school and Lacey was scrambling to get ready. She had underestimated how long it actually took a teenage girl to get ready for school. Summer had been a blast and she hadn't had to worry about getting ready at the crack of dawn. Lacey was all but ready except she couldn't find her damn shoes. Where the hell were they?

"Have you asked your sister?" Judy said folding her arms. Lacey rolled her eyes not because she was annoyed with her mom but because she felt like an idiot for not questioning Clara. Clara pretty much lived in Lacey's closet.

"Right..." Lacey said walking past her mom and out of her room. Lacey made her way down the hall to her younger sister Clara's room. Lacey was only two years older than Clara. You would think since they were so close in age that they would be like besties, unfortunately they weren't. Lacey sighed thinking about how complicated she and Clara's relationship was. Sometimes they were cool, other times not so much. Most of the times they were not. They were currently in their you leave me alone I'll leave you alone phase.

Lacey knocked on Clara's door before entering. "Clara have you seen my new Mary Jane-?" Lacey didn't even have to finish her sentence as she watched Clara study herself in her full length mirror with _Lacey's_ Louboutin's on. Lacey sighed. Clara eyes widen in horror as she noticed Lacey eyeing her Mary Janes.

"Excuse me but who do you think you are taking my shoes without asking me?" Lacey said eyeing Clara.

The shocked expression on Clara face disappeared and was now replaced by an annoyed one. "You have a ton of shoes, stop being a bitch" Clara said dismissively while walking towards her dresser. Lacey eyed her extremely beautiful sister as she searched through her jewelry box.

"I don't care if I have a gazillion shoes, the point is their mine" Lacey said walking further into Clara's room. "Give em" Lacey said after Clara hadn't responded.

"It's the first day of school why do you think I bought them Clara?"

"Ugh" Clara groaned. "You're such a pain" Clara added with a sigh while bending over to take off Lacey shoes. Lacey didn't even bother to respond to Clara's comment, it would only result in a screaming match and Lacey didn't have time to argue with her bitchy sister right now, she had to be at school in twenty minutes.

"I'm leaving in five" Lacey said taking the shoes from Clara. Lacey was Clara's ride since Clara hadn't gotten her license yet.

"Don't worry I'm riding with Jana" Clara said flatly. So she was mad? What was new?

"Okay" Lacey said, before leaving Clara's room. Lacey shut the door behind her.

"She had them alright" Lacey said passing her mom up in the hall. Judy obviously heading back to her room.

Judy let out a chuckle. "That girl adores you"

"Very funny mom" Lacey said clearly disagreeing, Clara despised her.

* * *

"Those shoes are hot" Regina Crane, Lacey's best friend said as they stood on the steps of West Hills High. One of the many private schools located in Los Angeles, California.

"Thanks" Lacey said with a smile as she eyed the strawberry blonde.

"You wouldn't believe who stole them from me and was planning on wearing them today" Lacey continued as Regina eyes finally meet hers. Regina had been too busy admiring Lacey's new red bottoms.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Typical Clara" Regina said, knowing too well the dynamics of she and Clara's relationship.

"Right... And then she has the nerve to get mad at me for asking for them back"

"I'm so glad I don't have any siblings" Regina said shifting her eyes away from Lacey.

"You're so lucky" Lacey said, sometimes Lacey wished she was the only child.

"Look who decided to show his face" Regina said with a smirk. Lacey immediately brought her gaze over to the direction in which Regina was looking.

Lacey narrowed her eyes as the dark hair beauty who was known as Daniel Desai made his way towards the entrance. All eyes were on him as he pretended not to notice all the attention being aimed at him.

"He looks good" Lacey said, word around town was that Danny had spent all summer in a rehabilitation facility recovering from 'exhaustion' but every one with a brain knew that exhaustion was just another word for substance abuse. Lacey wondered what his drug of choice was. Was it coke like the rest of the kids around here? Or was it something hard like heroin or crystal meth?

Whatever it was Lacey was shocked to learn Danny had been in rehab. Which was weird because this was L.A. It really shouldn't have been a surprised to her being that the atmosphere was a lot faster in these parts. Lacey was originally from Green Grove, New York. So it had been an eye opener for Lacey to see the things that went on down here in Holly Wood. Lacey actually had friends who was into the whole drugs and partying scene. It just wasn't for her. She had other ways to help keep her high on life that didn't include drugs.

Danny tried to pretend he didn't notice the stares that was settled on him as he approached West Hills High. He knew why they were staring, Star magazine had reported he had checked himself into Serenity Rehabilitaion Center last June. Sometimes Danny hated being the heir to the most recognized hotel chain across on the United States. His life was out in the open for the world to see. Vikam Desai his father owned Luxury Inn a hotel chain that stretched all the way from Los Angeles to New York City. Vikram was one of the richest men in Los Angeles, and most eligible bachelors. So their family was in the constant spot light. Women were always trying to weasel their way into their lives ever since Danny's mom Karen died six years ago.

"Danny, hey" Regina Crane, One of the most popular girls in his class said as he made his way up the stairs. The pretty blonde was standing on the steps next to the extremely gorgeous yet stuck up Lacey Porter. Danny wanted to give them the cold shoulder and continue his way to class but Danny told himself this was a new school year and he would attempt to get out of this state of depression. He had spent most of last semester in a very dark place, he never wanted to fall into that dark hole again.

"How are you? You doing okay? " Regina asked with curious eyes, Lacey wanted to elbow the shit out of Regina. What was Regina thinking hinting at the whole rehab thing? This had to be a very touchy subject for Danny considering he had just gotten out of that place.

Danny narrowed his eyes on Regina. "I'm fine" He said in what he hoped was a cheerful response. He looked between Lacey and Regina as he tried to think of something else to say that would convince them that he really was fine. Except Danny was not fine. He was not fine at all.

"Well that's great" Regina said cheerfully. Danny forced a smile.

"I should get to class" Danny said briefly meeting eyes with Lacey though he had been speaking to Regina. He didn't know why he was drawn to her. It wasn't like they had ever really spoken before. Ever since she moved to L.A. a year ago their conversations had been very brief to say the least. Lacey had the weirdest expression settled on her beautiful face. He wondered what she was thinking. She probably pitied him. Whatever. He didn't have the luxury of caring. He had more important things on his mind like getting to class before the tardy bell rung.

Both Lacey and Regina turned around to watch Danny as he ascended the steps.

"Poor baby" Regina said with a sad face. "I heard Nikki dumped him, and that is what sent him into a downward spiral "

"Do you believe him...about being fine?" Lacey said bringing her eyes from the gorgeous boy who had more issues then she could count on her fingers and toes back to her gorgeous friend. She wondered if Danny had been telling the truth when he said he was fine. She thought she saw a glimpse of sadness in his eyes as he spoke. She could be wrong though, maybe he was fine. Maybe what she saw was annoyance. Maybe he didn't appreciate people all up in his business not even two minutes of arriving to school after spending a entire summer in rehab.

"Nope" Regina said finally turning around to face Lacey. "The boy clearly still has issues, and just think a year ago I would have been all over that" before Lacey could respond she and Regina was joined on the steps by her other two best friends Pheobe Daly and Sarita Jimenez.

Lacey squealed as she reunited with her friends though she had just seen them two days ago.

"Guess who's out of rehab?..." Regina said as they headed inside the shallow confines of West Hills high...

* * *

Danny sighed as he sat in his first period English class, pretending not to hear the whispers around him. Danny excellent hearing was such a curse at times. Danny would trade it for being hard of hearing any day if it meant he wouldn't catch the mean remarks being said about him on the low.

_"I heard he over dosed off cocaine and they had to pump his stomach"_

_"I heard he got so high he tried to prove he could fly by jumping off his balcony. If it hadn't been for him landing in his pool he would have died"_

_"I heard he's in real deep with the Mexican drug lords and that's why he checked himself into rehab to get away"_

_"I heard Nikki broke up with him and that's why he turned to drugs in the first place"_

_"I heard he isn't a coke head at all. I hear he's actually an alcoholic"_

Danny closed his eyes as he tried to block out the rumors that was being circulated around the classroom. God, where was the teacher? The tardy bell had rang five minutes ago. Danny hadn't been so freaking eager for class to start in his whole existence.

All talking ceased which caused Danny eyes to pop open. What had caused the chatter about his personal life to suddenly end? The answer to that question was revealed as Danny watched a woman enter the classroom. She was tall, blonde and extremely beautiful. Danny assumed this was their English teacher. Though he couldn't believe teachers actually looked liked this. Maybe school wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.

"Okay class" She said sitting her briefcase down on her desk. She walked over to the chalk board, picked up some chalk and started to write.

"I'm Ms. Hamilton and I'll be your teacher this semester" She said after writing out her name on the board. Ms. Hamilton gave her back story of where she was from, San Francisco apparently. She attended UCLA. Not married. No kids, though she loved them. She asked the class to introduce themselves just as she done with them.

Ugh. Danny nearly groaned out loud when she had asked them to participate. He didn't need any extra attention on him right now.

Danny hesitated before finally standing up. He really didn't want to do this. Danny sighed before speaking, loosening his tie in the process.

"Danny Desai, My last year at this lovely school _hopefully,_ before I'm off to god knows where" There were a few chuckles. "Um...yeah...I really don't know what else to say" Danny said with a shrug.

"How was your summer in rehab?" He heard Archie Yates say. The class was suddenly quiet, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Danny turned his head to the direction of the arrogant jerk he grown to hate. Archie never missed an opportunity to poke the bear. Danny didn't know what was up with Archie and where his dislike for him stemmed from. Danny eyes darkened briefly before amusement settled on his beautiful face.

"I don't know, how was your summer at douche bag camp?" Danny said with a smirk."Learn any new tips on how to be a better douche bag? Or do you pretty much have it down pat?" There were laughs around the room.

"Okay settle down" Ms. Hamilton said trying to diffuse the situation. Danny noticed Archie's eyes turning a dark shade of green as Danny smile widened.

"Danny have a seat please" Ms. Hamilton said as Archie continued to glare at Danny. Danny did as he was told and took a seat. He could feel Archie eyes boring into the back of his head.

"You shouldn't let people get to you like that" Ms. Hamilton said before Danny had a chance to cross the threshold into the busy halls of West Hills High. Her comment causing Danny to stop dead in his tracks. Danny had literally been the last student to leave class.

"He started it" Danny said in defense while turning around.

"That doesn't make it right" She stated.

"I wasn't going to let him embarrass me" Danny said in a serious tone. "I know you're new here but me and Archie have a long history" Danny said thinking about the three physical fights they had since knowing each other.

"I won't allow such disruption in my class" She said in an equally serious tone.

"Have a nice day Ms. Hamilton" Danny said before turning around and leaving. His new teacher already hated him. Great.

* * *

"I heard you got into it with Desai in first period" Scott said turning to his best friend Archie Yates.

They were all seated outside for lunch hour. Lacey, Regina, Sarita, Phoebe, Scott, and Archie, her close group of friends that she's known since arriving in Los Angeles a mere year ago. Lacey brought her eyes up to her green eyed friend, he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly before responding.

"I wouldn't exactly say we got into it, I just asked him an innocent question"

"And what _innocent_ question was that?" Phoebe asked before Lacey had a chance to. Everyone knew Archie could be extremely rude at times. So his idea of a innocent was different then everyone's else's.

"Well I simply asked what everyone else wanted to know but was too p*ssy to say. I asked him how his summer in rehab went" They all dropped their heads, Why oh why wasn't Lacey surprised?

"You didn't?" Phoebe said in shock.

Archie let out a short laugh "Yeah, I did" Archie said, confirming it was true.

"I don't see what's the big deal?" Regina said clearly siding with Archie

"I mean it's all over the Internet, it's not like it isn't true" She continued.

"Yeah, but that's incredibly insensitive to bring it up" Lacey said looking around the table.

"Do you actually feel sorry for the kid?" Archie said teasing Lacey. Lacey rolled her eyes.

"We used to be friends with him before he got all emo on us" Phoebe said reminding them.

"I was never friends with that crack head" Archie chimed in.

"You're an asshole" Lacey said before taking a sip from her diet coke.

"An asshole you used to date" He reminded her. Yeah and she regretted that to this day.

"Key word, used to" Lacey said glaring at Archie. Archie furrowed his eyebrows not breaking eye contact, his gaze was too strong. Gosh, what was he thinking? Lacey quickly looked away. Her eyes settled on the door that separated the cafeteria to the outside patio. Lacey eyes widen as she noticed Danny Desai walk through it. Danny had a half drunken bottle of soda in his hand. Where was his food? Lacey thought as she watched Danny as he sat down at a empty table on the opposite side of the patio.

"Speaking of Mr. Drugs is my everything..." Archie said with a chuckle.

Lacey couldn't help but wonder who this boy was that everyone seem to be obsessed with, She never got the opportunity to get to know him so she could only go by what was said about him by her peers. The kids at school spoke his name as if he was Hollywood royalty, even the media had taken a unhealthy obsession with Danny Desai. Yeah, sure he was a heir to The Luxury Inn Hotel chain but hell Archie was the son of a famous movie star and he never got as much attention as Danny got. Was there a reason everyone seem to be drawn to Danny? Was he really that special?... Maybe it was because Danny was unbelievably attractive, Lacey couldn't deny the fact Danny was something to look at with his perfectly tan skin, Long silky black hair, warm brown eyes and incredible taut body (Yeah she saw the beach photos of him in the gossip rags) people were drawn to gorgeous people, look at Kim Kardashian, what was she really famous for? Being good looking that's what. Danny was no different. Just a pretty face. Lacey turned her head away from the beautiful boy as her friend Regina begin to speak. She didn't have time to have Danny Desai on her brain. He had a shit load of problems. Drugs being at the top of the list.

**A/N Okay this was something I did just because I needed to take a break from HSN, don't worry folks I'm not abandoning it. I really don't know how many chapters I will go with this, I might be done with it tomorrow, who knows? I seem to be in a dark phase in my life right know, so the writing for this might get a little dark (if I choose to continue to write it of course) I know the feel is different from HSN which was done on purpose. So to my emo folks out there HELLO! This story may seem to be about one thing but being that I couldn't write the entire summary I will just let you guys know this is more about friendship then anything. I might go into the direction of romance later on, we'll see. The story will be told from Danny's POV more than Lacey's also I might Switch POV to supporting characters later on. My first thought when deciding to write this was to include most of the characters from twisted and give them a story line. Sort of telling the story of the young elite of Hollywood but I've been told no ones cares about the other characters, but I try not to listen to that crap, so who knows...we'll see**

**Stay tuned for answers, Did Danny really go to rehab for exhaustion or is he a drug head like everyone assumed? Or maybe he has deeper issues going on... Stay tuned for the next Chapt, well only if you guys want it remember reviews = updates**


	2. Back In The Swing Of Things

**A/N This Chapter focuses more on Danny and Lacey. Some of the supporting characters are in this chapter but I wanted to flesh Danny and Lacey out more before I dive into the other characters storylines.**

**Back In The Swing Of Things**

"Danny is there a reason you keep looking at the clock?" Dr. Cho, Danny's new therapist asked as Danny eyes flickered over the clock on the wall for the forth time since starting their hour long session exactly thirty-seven minutes ago.

"Is there somewhere else you need to be?" The petite middle age woman asked, her voice completely void of any emotion as she jotted something down on her note pad. Danny wondered what she scribbled in that note pad of hers.

"I just don't think these sessions are all that useful" Danny admitted honestly while looking down at his hands. Danny started to twiddle his thumbs.

"Danny this is only our second session" True, but Danny could already tell this was a complete waste of time. Just like with the therapist he'd seen in the rehabilitation facility. You met one shrink you met them all right? Like seriously, how was she any different from the rest?

"It's going to take more then two therapy sessions to figure out why-" She started

"Doc can we not talk about that" Danny said cutting her off before she could finish her sentence.

"Well, what do you want to talk about Danny?" Dr. Cho said with curious eyes while pushing her glasses further up on the bridge of her nose. Danny noted she hadn't gotten offended by him cutting her off, her voice hadn't been laced with any malice. She spoke in that same emotionless tone she always used.

"I don't know" Danny said with a sigh while raking his fingers through his silky black hair. And it was true he didn't know, he just knew _that_ wasn't up for discussion. God, he hated his dad for making him go to these pointless therapy sessions.

"So School started" Dr. Cho stated, clearly having found her next topic of discussion.

"How'd that go?" She continued with curious eyes.

Danny shifted on the couch, trying to get more comfortable.

"You can lie down if you like" She said clearly noting he wasn't completely comfortable.

"No, that's okay" Danny never wanted to get too comfortable, he might actually find himself pouring his soul out to the Doc. And he couldn't have that. She couldn't know the things that kept him up at night.

"So school?" She said after a moment.

"School is school" Danny said using that emotionless tone she always used with him. Danny looked around the room while answering, She had a pretty large office, well one of the largest he's been in so far. The office was brightly lit by the two large glass walls due to the office being a corner office. Danny noticed a collage of framed degrees on her wall. She had went to Brown and Cornell. Nice Ivy league schools. Colleges his dad hoped for him to get into. Danny wasn't quite so sure about that, not because Danny wasn't smart enough because he was actually pretty brilliant but because he wasn't sold on the whole college thing. Danny wanted to travel the world when he finally got out of the hell hole that was known as High School. Danny couldn't wait until the day he walked across that stage to accept his diploma. He already knew it would be the best day of his life.

Danny continued to look around the office. He noticed she had numerous books on the book shelves, he wondered if she actually referenced them or if they were just for show.

"Yeah, but it was your first day back. How did it go? You have to have some opinion about it" She added bringing him out of his thoughts. She was good at that.

Danny pursed his lips before answering. He was debating on whether or not he wanted to divulge in spilling his guts about the awful day he had at school today.

"The kids at school look at me with pity" He decided what the hell. Talking would actually get the time go fly by faster anyway. He definitely wasn't doing it because thought it would help him feel better.

"How does that make you feel?" The corner of Danny's mouth tilted up in a slight smile. Danny shook his head before answering.

"I tell myself I don't care what people think about me" Danny eyes met Dr. Cho's again, both of her eyebrows lifted as she slightly turned her her head, clearly encouraging Danny to continue.

"But I guess I do" He said slowly, eyes back on his hands. He didn't know why he was so embarrassed to admit that. Most people in the world cared what others thought of them whether they wanted to admit it or not. And being in The spotlight made it even worse. People always had opinions about him and his family. Number one being if his dad was ever going to settle down again. His dad had become an ultimate playboy after the passing of his mom. Vikram had started dating not even a month after his mom died. That hurt Danny til this day.

"That's normal Danny, to care what people think" Dr. Cho said as if she had been invading his thoughts.

"I know" Danny let out a heavy sigh as his eyes settled back on his doctor. "But I never really cared before..."

"Before rehab..." She said finishing his thought. Danny narrowed his eyes at the pretty woman in front of him. She stared at him intently, Her brown eyes boring into his.

Danny eyes quickly shifted away from hers and settled on the ground. The off white carpet recently cleaned, apparent from the streaks the vacuum cleaner left behind.

"Anything positive happen today?" Dr. Cho asked when it was apparent Danny wasn't going to respond to her last comment. She was changing tactics hoping discussing good things would get him to open up to her.

Well, I got into it with my arch nemesis today" Dr. Cho had a puzzled expression on her face.

"Ohhhh" Danny hit the palm of his hand against his forehead as if realizing his mistake "You said _good _things" Danny shook his head pretending to be ignorant to the mix up of her questioning "Sorry no"

Dr. Cho eyebrows furrowed as she begin to write in her note pad again. Danny rolled his eyes as he glanced back at the clock. Damn. Twenty more minutes to go...

* * *

"What are you thinking about?" Phoebe Daly, Lacey's best friend asked her as She, Pheobe, Regina and Sarita sat at a table located in the back of their favorite coffee shop as they sipped on different variations of Frappuccino's.

Lacey had been taken out of her thoughts by her friends sudden question. Lacey brought her eyes to questioner herself.

"I've been thinking about what I wanna do with my life and I think want to pursue a career in singing" Lacey was surprised to see the wide eyes staring back at her after she confessed what been her mind all day. Well, at least since she had had a very long and encouraging talk with her choir teacher director.

"What?" Lacey said nervously as her eyes settled on each one of her friends.

Regina was the first to speak. "I had no idea you could even sing" Lacey gave her strawberry blonde friend an incredulous look. "I'm in _choir_" she stated with emphasis on the word choir.

"I know that" Regina said before taking a sip of her beverage. "but I didn't know you could like _blow_ or anything"

"I think I can" Lacey admitted timidly.

"Singing is such a hard career to get into" Sarita said thinking of her boyfriend who was just now gaining popularity after pursuing his dream for nearly a decade.

"What about acting? You could definitely do that with no problem" Sarita continued "You're definitely pretty enough"

"Acting is just as hard and it isn't just about looks either " Phoebe said chiming in. Phoebe spoke from real life experience. She had been a former child star, She had a hit T.V. Show on the Disney network when she was ten. She quit because her dad wanted her to have a normal childhood. Her mom on the other hand was against the idea, she wanted Phoebe to be a huge star like Miley Cyrus. The _old_ Miley. Not the new one who like to lick sledge hammers. After a much needed break in order to complete her schooling, Phoebe decided acting is what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. She was just now starting to dip her feet in acting again since she was after all entering the last year of high school but the roles were not rolling in like she hoped.

"Oh, I know" Lacey said. "Singing is more my passion though, acting is something I'm definitely interested in, but for now..." She said glancing at Sarita. "I wanted to try out the singing thing first. I really love it"

"I say go for it. If that's something you really want to do" Regina said surprising her with her encouraging response.

"Thanks Reg" Lacey said, smiling revealing her signature dimple. Regina smiled. Now if only she could decide what she wanted to do with her life...

"Get your Beyonce on girl" Regina added. That made them all laugh. Regina was a hoot.

"Why it gotta be Beyonce though..?" Lacey said only half joking.

"Because she's fierce..." Regina said with an expression that said 'duh'

"Yeah, she is pretty fierce" Lacey said agreeing.

Danny raked his hands through his hair as he entered the coffee shop. There was a paparazzi following him on the side walk that he was desperately trying to get rid of. Plus, Danny was starving and their Panini's were pretty awesome. Danny placed his order for a Turkey Pesto Panini and iced peach green tea.

"Are you Daniel Desai?" The cashier asked him while glancing back and forth between him and the paparazzi who was clearly waiting for him outside.

"Unfortunately" Danny said with a wry grin.

"That must suck" The red head said after she had given him his total. Her green eyes were back on the paparazzi outside.

"I'm used to it" Danny said taking his wallet out of his back pocket. Danny took a twenty out of his wallet and handed it to her. She tried to give him his change.

"Keep it"

"Thanks" She said with a smile. "There's going to be a minute on the panini, if you wanna wait at one of the tables, I'll bring it to you" Danny nodded

"Sure" He said before turning around and heading to a table towards the back. Danny was surprised to see some of his classmates seated in the back sipping on their Frappuccino's.

Regina Crane, Lacey Porter, Sarita Jimenez and Pheobe Daly all looked at him with wide eyes as he neared them.

"Boo" He said playfully, while sitting down at the table right beside them. Danny looked at the girls as they all just stared a him like he was crazy. Okay, maybe the boo thing wasn't a good idea.

"Whats up?" Danny said awkwardly while eyeing them.

"What's up with you?" Regina said clearly flirting. Lacey nearly rolled her eyes. Regina flirted with any and everyone, even women. She just had that type of personality. She especially loved attention from guys. It gave her life. Lacey on the other hand was the complete opposite. She never flirted with guys, she was kind of shy when it came to the opposite sex.

"Trying to ditch the paps?" Regina said obviously noticing the camera man outside.

"Something like that..." Danny said eyeing the blonde. Danny always thought Regina was a pretty girl. But she had a reputation for being a promiscuous party girl. The party girl thing he could handle. His ex Nikki had been one but the whole sleeping around thing was not a good look. Plus Danny always thought her shy best friend was cuter. Danny eyes shifted over to Lacey Porter. He saw something in her eyes before she quickly looked away. What was that about?

Lacey brought her eyes down to her Strawberrry and creme frappuccino. She didn't know why she looked away. Maybe it was because those dark mysterious eyes made her feel as if they bored into her soul. Like he knew every thought that ever crossed her mind about him. Which made Lacey feel a little more than uneasy. His stares were always so intense. Lacey wondered if she was the only one who thought that. She couldn't be the only who was affected by his hypnotizing gaze.

Lacey fingers drummed the table counter as she listen to Danny engaged in light conversation with her best friend. She tried to pretend to be off in her own world as she listen to Regina talk Danny's ear off. Regina was rambling on about how mind numbing school had been. Phoebe and Sarita were having a conversation off to the side but Lacey hadn't been paying any attention, she was more interested in what the dark hair cutie across from her seated at the table beside them had to say about his encounter with Archie today.

Regina wouldn't have been Regina if she hadn't brought _that_ up.

"I heard you and Archie got into it with each other in first period" Was the statement Regina made. Lacey was tempted at looking up to see the reaction displayed on Danny's face as Regina probed into business that wasn't hers. But she didn't want to seem nosey.

"If you can call it that. He inquired about how I spent my summer and I did the same with him. Nothing to write home about" Danny said in an emotionless tone. Lacey finally brought her gaze to the boy who was the talk of the school and town for that matter. Danny's gorgeous face was just as emotionless as his voice had been.

He truly seemed unbothered by the whole thing. Lacey wondered if that was just a facade he was putting on to seem like everything was easy peasy. She wondered if he was really crumbling deep down inside. Drug addiction was a hard thing to deal with. Not to mention your peers bringing it up every chance they got didn't make things better. Lacey felt for Danny. His life had done a 180. Lacey could remember their first encounter like it was yesterday. Danny seem so different from the out going boy she meet just a year ago...

**A year ago...**

"Theres a method to getting that locker open" Lacey heard someone say with a light chuckle. She immediately turned her head to the direction where the voice was coming from. Lacey was stunned to pieces at the view in front of her. Her eyes widened a bit as she stared at Daniel Desai the heir to The Luxury Inn Hotel chains standing in front of her. Lacey had been so frustrated with trying to get her locker open that she hadn't realized anyone had approached her. It was the first day of school for her junior year of High School, a brand new school at that and Lacey was about to be tardy for her third period class.

Danny stood before her, a slight smile settled on his his strikingly handsome face. Danny was a sight to look at with his glorious dark hair pulled into a low bun at the back of his head. He wore the boys school uniform, a blue blazer with the schools crescent logo on it, underneath his unbutton blazer was a white button down shirt, untucked with his red tie loosened enough to make him look like a rebel. Below his waist, Khaki slacks that fit him oh so perfectly and a pair of black fluevog's to add to his individuality. God, he wore that uniform better then any boy at the school could ever dream of doing. Lacey was so caught up in nearly salivating over the boy she had seen displayed in countless gossip rags that she hadn't realized that it was her time to speak.

Danny chuckled. What was funny? "Here let me help" He said nearing her. "I saw you struggling to get it open" He added referring to her bastard locker.

"Yeah, I um-" Lacey moved out the way so Danny could try his luck with it. She swallowed as she seem to be at a lost for words. The wonderful scent of him rendering her speechless. I um what?...Gosh what was I going to say Lacey thought as the smell of Danny filled her nostrils. He smelled better than any teenage boy should have. He smelled as if he had just stepped out the shower, _very fresh,_ but with his own personal scent added to the mix. What was Lacey thinking it was probably just deodorant.

"This locker was mine last year" Danny said working on it. Lacey stared at the back of Danny's head admiring the short little baby hairs that touch his neck. God how was it even possible that even the back of him was hot?

"The trick is you have to wiggle the latch a bit before final opening it" Danny said successfully getting her locker to open.

"See" He said smiling a small smile as he glanced back at Lacey.

"Duly noted" Lacey said with a head nod, as she was able to think clearly now. She was sort of embarrassed by her brief moment of being star struck. Well she didn't know if she was star struck or just Danny struck. Lacey had met plenty of celebrities since her dad was one of the most famous running backs of all time. Lacey's father had played professional football for over a decade. He played for the New York Giants for the final six years of his career. Lacey lived in New York City for most of her childhood until her dad decided to retire and then their family moved to the small town of Green Grove to have a normal life outside of the spot light. Lacey had gotten quite accustom to the paparazzi free Green Grove when her dad announced he had accepted a job as a sports commentator working for ESPN at their Los Angeles studios. Lacey didn't know how she felt about leaving all her friends behind, she just knew she was dreading having to make new ones. Lacey was incredibly shy to say the least. Clara, her younger sister on the other hand was very out going. So of course Clara was stoked about moving, also Clara despised the small town of Green Grove with a passion. Lacey just knew she wasn't going to like Los Angeles at all. She heard about how fast the life was out here, she promised herself to stay out of that lifestyle. If she was deemed a major loser for having morals than so be it.

"Thanks by the way. I'm Lacey" She said extending her hand out to him.

"Lacey" Danny said slowly as if it was his favorite name in the world. A shiver ran throughout Lacey's body as her name rolled off his tongue.

"Pretty name. I'm Danny" He said shaking her hand. Lacey couldn't help but grin from ear to ear at Danny's compliment. He thought her name was pretty...Lacey felt butterflies in the pit of her stomach. _He thought her name was pretty! _Then there was that skin to skin contact... She couldn't help but notice how large his hands were which cause Lacey to wonder...

Lacey finally let go of his hands the moment she realized that she was just staring at the beautiful boy in front of her and he was just staring back at her and it was clear no one was planning on letting go anytime soon. Their hand shake was lingering on longer than any normal handshake should have.

"Thanks, Danny" Lacey said sweetly. She could feel the huge smile spread across face. She knew she probably looked like an idiot. Smiling at him like the cheshire cat but she couldn't help it he was so gosh darn dreamy. She decided not to feel bad about it he probably had that effect on every girl.

Lacey was proven just how right she was when a petite brunette girl walked up behind Danny and placed her hands over his eyes.

"Guess who?" The girl said hiding behind him.

"Hmmm" Danny pondered with a smile on his face. Lacey knew that this was probably her cue to turn around and store the books that was currently cramping her hands right about now into her locker but she couldn't. She needed to know who this mystery girl was to Danny. Was she a friend or something more?

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say my lovely girlfriend" Danny said prying her hands away from his face.

"Ding Ding Ding" She said as he turned around to face her. Lacey stomach dropped, he had a girlfriend...

What was she thinking? Of course he did... Lacey finally recognized said girlfriend as she stepped more into Lacey's view. She was Janika Westbrook, daughter of Mitt Dagger, famous rock legend and Danny's on and off girlfriend of two years. Last time she checked they were _off_. She guessed they were back _on_ again.

Lacey couldn't help but feel a bit jealous as Janika wrapped her arms around Danny's waist and stood on her tippy toes to give him a kiss.

"I'm Lacey" Lacey heard herself say. She didn't know why she decided to blurt that out at that exact moment. Anything to get them to stop kissing in front of her she guessed.

Danny pulled away from his girlfriend. Both of their eyes were on Lacey now. A smile touched Danny's lips again. Janika on the other hand was not smiling, nor was she frowning, she had a look that showed of curiosity. She probably was wondering who the hell Lacey was, announcing her presence like she had.

"Nik" Danny said turning to Janika, clearly a nick name he had given his better half. "Lacey is new to these parts. I was showing her how to get her locker open" Lacey was temporarily shocked at Danny's comment. She never told him she was new here. How did he know that?

"Hi Lacey" Janika said in a sweet voice, she gave Lacey a circular wave. "I'm Janika but you can call me Nikki. Welcome to West Hills"

"Oh, thanks. I'm happy to be here" Lacey said awkwardly. Ugh. She hoped that hadn't sounded as dorky as she thought it did.

"You say that now" Danny said slowly while chiming in. Janika let out a small giggle as she wrapped her arm around his waist.

Lacey forced a laugh as she brought her eyes back to Danny. She didn't know why she felt so awkward around these two to the point where she had to fake a laugh, his comment was funny enough, she just wasn't in the laughing mood anymore, she guessed... Class would be starting in a bit she didn't have time to engage in pointless chit chat with these two.

"I should really get to class" Lacey said putting away her books. "It was nice to meet you" She said eyeing Danny, until she realized her mistake. "The both of you" She quickly corrected, her eyes shifting to Janika. Lacey wasn't sure or not but she saw something in Janika eyes just then.

"Yeah, it was nice to meet you too" Janika said grabbing hold of Danny's hand. Now she was the one forcing a smile.

"What she said" Dany said eyeing Lacey. Lacey swallowed as the deepening of his voice was making her feel a certain way. "See you around" He said as Janika pulled him into the congested halls of West Hills High.

Lacey closed her locker shut as she watched Danny and his pretty girlfriend walk off to their next class, little did Lacey know that would be one of the few conversations she would ever have with Danny or his dark haired girlfriend for that matter.

**Present time...**

Danny was in the mist of talking to Regina when the cashier brought him his order.

"Thanks" He said with a friendly smile.

"You're welcome" The red head said with a wink. Danny couldn't help but smile as she sauntered back to her work post.

"Wow, looks like you have an admirer" Regina noted. It did look that way, judging by the piece of receipt paper that she scribbled her number down on. Amy was her name. Danny probably would never call her though. Girls hit on him on the daily it wasn't anything out of the norm.

Danny let out a nervous laugh, before taking a sip of his tea.

"You're shy!" Regina noted as the pitch in her voice raised, as if she was astounded by that revelation. That caused Danny to look up at her. "That's so cute" she continued. Or embarrassing...

"Aw, Isn't he cute?" Regina said looking to Lacey.

"I guess" Lacey said awkwardly.

Danny eyes settling on Lacey caused her to look away.

Danny eyed Lacey, he nearly frowned up at her 'I guess' comment. She clearly wanted to say no. Whatever.

Danny engaged in small chit chat with the girls, well with Regina since she seem to be the only one interested in talking to him while he finished up his panini. He saw that the paparazzi had finally moved on to their next prey. Thank God. Danny said his goodbyes to the girls before he got up, tea in hand as he begin to leave the coffee shop.

"Oh, Danny" Regina said eyeing Danny as he begin to walk away. Danny turned around to see what Regina wanted.

"I'm throwing a kick back slash back to school fiasco Friday night. You're invited" Danny simply nodded his head before walking away.

"Don't tell me you're crushing on him again" Sarita said sounding disgusted

"Right, the boy has issues" Phoebe said chiming in.

"like _major_ issues" Phoebe reiterated, with emphasis on the word major.

"I'm just being nice you guys" Regina said in defense.

"He literally sat at a table all by himself today at lunch" She continued looking around at her friends. When they hadn't responded she added "That's really sad..." She said with a pouty face "He has no friends" She continued as if having no friends was the worst thing in the world.

"Well maybe he wanted to be alone..." Lacey said with a shrug, defending the boy she barely knew. He did after all just get out of rehab. Maybe he needed alone time to reflect on some things.

"Have you ever considered that?" Lacey continued looking at her blue eyed friend.

"Nope" Regina said "The whole rehab thing tainted his image. It's a shame too, he had so much potential"

"We could've had it all" She crooned mimicking Adele. They all laughed in response. Her best friend was something else.

* * *

Lacey arrived home a quarter past seven. She had been hanging out with her girls all afternoon. Lacey noticed Clara and Clara's best friend Jana sitting on the sofa watching T.V. It look they were watching one of those Entertainment news shows. Lacey interest peeked when she heard a mention of Janika Westbrook.

"Hey what are you guys watching?" Lacey said sitting on the arm of the couch.

"Celebrity Tonight" Jana said quickly glancing at Lacey. Clara hadn't even looked up a Lacey. She must have still been pissed with her for not allowing her to wear her new Louboutin's today. Lacey nodded while bringing her eyes back to the fifty inch Flat screen.

"Janika Westbrook has clearly moved on from her on and off boyfriend of three years Daniel Desai who just completed a stint in rehab for exhaustion" The reporter spoke as they showed a brief photo of Danny and Nikki at a red carpet event hugged up with one another. They proceeded with a video of Nikki and her new beau cuddled up at the beach.

"Westbrook, daughter of legendary rocker Mitt Dagger has found love with Charles McBride the Son of Daggers former band mate Lou McBride" The reporter concluded.

"Talk about a downgrade" Lacey heard Jana say.

"Danny's a coke head" Clara said clearly disagreeing while giving her friend an incredulous look.

"Yeah but he's a hot coke head" Jana countered.

"Her new beau's cuter" Clara stated. That comment wasn't surprising to Lacey. Clara was into the whole punk rocker look. Well, in guys that is. Clara was just as prissy and girly as Lacey was, she just preferred her guys to be on the edgier side

"And I doubt he's strung out on drugs like Danny. I heard that's the reason she dumped Danny anyway, he was trying to get her into that lifestyle" Clara added while turning down the volume so she could her herself speak.

"Whatever" Jana said as if the drug thing was only a minor flaw. "Druggie or not, Danny is still hotter"

Clara scoffed.

"Right, Lace? Isn't Danny hotter?" Jana said looking up at Lacey, clearly trying to settle this petty disagreement of the whose hotter addition.

"I'm not in it" Lacey said with a smirk while raising up from the couch. She started up the stairs to her room, she could still hear Jana and Clara debating on the subject. In the back of her mind she knew the answer. _Danny._ He was hotter by far.

* * *

Danny sighed as he cut off the television, he had just finished watching a nauseating piece on Celebrity Tonight on his ex girlfriend and how she was now dating Charles McBride. Typically he shied away from those kind of programs, but he happened to see his ex as he was scanning the channels and curiosity got the best of him. Now he was regretting even stopping.

Danny decided to take a shower, to take his mind off things. When he got out, he quickly got dressed in his night wear, A motley crüe T-shirt and a pair Calvin Klein boxers. Danny walked downstairs and made his way to the kitchen he hadn't had a chance to eat since earlier today at the coffee house. The panini hadn't filled him up like he hoped.

Danny was surprised to see his dad sitting at the bar eating what looked to be Fish. It was rare to catch his dad late in the evening. If he wasn't out of town, he was at some event. If he wasn't at some event, He was on a date. If he wasn't on a date, he was in bed catching some Zzzz's. Danny tried not to complain though, he knew his dad was a very important man. Vikram had a lot of responsibilities when it came to running his company, which meant he didn't get to spend a lot of time with only son.

"Hey, dad" Danny said walking past the bar area to head for the fridge.

"Hey son" Vikram said taking a sip from his glass. Danny was sure it wasn't water even though it was clear. Most likely Vodka. Vikram loved his Vodka.

"How was your day? How did school go?" Vikram continued as Danny opened the fridge.

"School was school" Danny said giving his father the same generic answer he had given the head doctor. He still wasn't up for discussing the nightmare that was West Hills High.

"Everything went fine?"

"Yep" Danny said while scanning the contents of the fridge. Mostly fruits, vegetables, and juices. Basically really healthy foods. Mostly Organic. His dad was into the whole healthy life style, well at least since he started dating his latest girlfriend who was a yoga instructor and actually closer to Danny's age than his dad. Danny wondered if his dad was still dating Natalie or if he had moved on to the next blonde bimbo. Another thing about his dad he loved his blondes.

"It went _wonderfully_" Danny said exaggerating. Well, exaggerating wasn't the correct word. He was flatout lying. Today went horribly. People were constantly staring at him or whispering. Or doing both at the same time. Danny was tired of people pitying him. He didn't need anyone's sympathy.

"You didn't have any problems from any of the kids, huh? That Archie kid didn't mess with you did he?" His dad said knowing the dynamics of he and Archie's relationship. Danny had gotten suspended three times. All three times for fist fights they had.

"Nope" Danny said fibbing, his dad didn't need to know about his little encounter with Archie. It really wasn't worth mentioning.

"That's good to hear" Vikram said satisfied with Danny's answer, or lie for that matter. Danny grabbed a bottle of water and an apple out of the fridge . He took a bite out of the apple before shutting the door. Danny eyed his dad who was back to sipping on his 'water'.

"I um...Im flying to New York City tomorrow, I need to wrap up some business there. I'll be back next Wednesday". Danny nodded, it wasn't uncommon for his dad to be gone days at a time.

"I expect for you to keep up your appointments with Dr. Cho" He gave Danny a dour look.

"Ugh" Danny groaned. "Why do I even have to go?" He complained with a bit of an attitude.

"You know why" Vikram said simply. There was a long stretch of silence.

"You hear your Cousin Tara's pregnant?" Vikram said looking up at Danny. Danny took a sip of his water before answering.

"I heard" Danny admitted. TMZ was the first to report it the other day.

"Did you call her to congratulate her?"

"Nope"

"Why not?" Vikram said harshly.

"Because I hadn't gotten around to it yet" Danny replied.

"Well make sure you do get around to it" Vikram said finishing off his 'water' "She's family" He added as if Danny didn't already know that.

"Sure thing" Danny said while heading out of the kitchen.

"Night" Vikram said, glancing back at Danny.

"Night, Father"

Danny headed back up to his room. Once inside Danny sat down at his desk. He opened up his laptop, running his fingers along the mouse bringing his computer to life. Danny sighed as he begin to type what would be the longest email of his life.

**A/N Okay guys I'm really not sure if I'm going to finish this story or not. I already have a lot on my plate as it is. I'm not sure why I even started a new fic to begin with, I think I just needed a break from HSN. Anyway what do you guys think? Should I continue or nah? **


	3. Ninety-nine problems

**A/N As I promised we dive into the other characters in this chapter. Hope you EnJoy!**

**Ninety-nine problems**

Danny was awaken the next morning by his buzzing alarm clock. Danny hand slammed down on the clock, silencing it in the process. Ugh. Danny didn't want to get out of bed for nothing. He was beyond tired. He probably gotten a total of four hours of sleep last night.

Danny sat up, he yawned heavily, stretching his arms upward in the process. Yeah, tired wasn't even the correct word to describe how Danny felt. Exhausted was more like it. He reluctantly dragged himself out of bed, heading straight for the bathroom, Danny took a leak, walked to the sink to wash his hands. He stared at the bags under his eyes. Gosh he looked terrible. As if he hadn't sleep for days. Which wasn't too far off.

Danny splashed water on his face with his hands. Hoping the cool water would waken him a bit. It didn't. He still felt sluggish. Danny was seriously debating on whether or not he would even attend school today. So what if he missed the second day of the school year? He had made the first so that was all that mattered right? Plus no one would miss seeing him anyway...

Nah. His dad would kill him if he found out he already ditched school on just the second day. After taking a quick shower Danny got dress. Putting on his uniform with slight displeasure. He hated this uniform with a passion. It made him blend in with everyone else. Nope. That was a lie he could never blend in with everyone else. He stood out like a sore thumb. It did however make him feel generic.

When Danny arrived to school he was surprised to see his ex girlfriend Nikki rummaging through her locker just two lockers down from his. _Great. Just freaking Great._ What were the odds that he got assigned a locker two lockers away from hers? Now he would have the displeasure of running into her everyday for the rest of the school year. Danny had hoped when he hadn't seen her all day yesterday that she had transferred to another school being how badly their relationship ended, but of course his luck wasn't that great. Actually it wasn't great at all. He probably had the worst luck ever. Danny thoughts flickered back to those childhood memories in which he buried deep down into his memory bank. Or at least tried to, but nothing could keep those traumatizing events from resurfacing. Danny had awaken sweating profusely, in an utter state of panic last night. It was starting all over again. Those reoccurring dreams that ever so often flooded his unconsciousness. The ones that triggered his depression. The ones that made him...

Danny hadn't realized he was staring until Nikki looked up at him. She must've felt eyes on her. Her eyes widen briefly before she turned back around. _Wow._ So it was like that huh? She was just going to act as though they hadn't spent the last three years of their lives pretty much attached to the hip. Well, when they weren't in one of their temporary breaks that is. Danny wondered if this was one of those times...Probably not. For some reason this time it felt final. And honestly he didn't know how he felt about that.

Danny shifted his eyes back to the locker in front of him. He was desperately trying to remember the combination when he felt a presence beside him. Danny immediately jerked his head to the right of him. Warm brown eyes stared at him.

"Rico" Danny said as he eyed the energetic boy in front of him.

"Danny Hey" Rico said cheerfully. A grande smile settled across his face. Danny almost smiled himself. _Almost._ At least someone was happy to see him Danny thought as his eyes flickered back over to his ex girlfriend. She was still rummaging through that locker of hers. Completely unaffected by his presence.

"Hey, Rico wassup?" Danny said bringing his eyes back to the nerdy kid in front of him.

"Nothing" Rico said "Well..." He added seeming a bit nervous. "Just wondering if you were planning on joining the soccer team this year" Oh _that_. Danny hadn't planned on it. He didn't need that extra stress in his life right now. Danny was one of the best players on the team so naturally everyone expected his return this season but the pressure that came from him player soccer was to much to bare. People were always expecting for Danny to be the hero. This year he needed to focus on himself and getting better. He didn't need any distractions in his life.

"Nope" Danny said shaking his head. "Turning in my hat. I'm passing the torch onto you my friend" Danny said with a cheeky smile while patting Rico on the shoulder, being more than generous. Rico wasn't exactly one of the stars of the team.

Rico face fell. "You can't quit" He pleaded, at that exact moment Charlie McBride, Nikki's new boy toy, walked up behind her, wrapping his lanky arms around body. Nikki quickly turned around after shutting her locker. Her face seemed to light up with joy as she locked gazes with her punk rocker boyfriend. Danny eyes narrowed in on the two as they begin to peck each other on the lips. Ugh. Danny nearly rolled his eyes as he proceeded to watch the two make out.  
Sadly Danny stll felt a certain way about how things ended between them. Danny didn't know if he would've been so bothered if her new boyfriend was anyone other than Mr. My dad is a rockstar so that automatically makes me one by default. God. Danny couldn't stand the guy. Almost as much as he couldn't stand Archie. _Almost._ Archie still managed to piss him off far beyond what anyone could ever imagine. Though he would never clue Archie in on how much he truly bothered him.

With Charlie it was that kind of dislike that simmered just below the surface. Danny always knew there was something off with the guy. It was like he tried entirely to hard to be something he wasn't, with the Mohawk, piercings and tattoos. As a way to say look at me I don't give a f*ck, I can careless what society thinks of me, when in actuality all it said was look at how hard I'm trying to be different. But it wasn't just the false way he presented himself. Danny always had suspicions that Charlie had a thing for Nikki. When they were dating Charlie always pretended to be the close guy friend that was always there for her when Danny and she were going through their rough patches. Nikki admitted Charlie was the shoulder she cried on when they were apart. They had been besties since tiny tykes running around the place causing mayhem, but that fact didn't stop Danny from feeling there was something more there. Clearly his suspicions were correct all along.

"Danny did you hear me? You can't quit" Rico said gaining Danny's attention again. Danny shifted his eyes away from the nauseating couple and back to his former team mate. Rico eyes were like saucers.

"Rico-" Danny started but was cut off by the lovable nerd.

"We need you" Rico said his eyes pleading, begging Danny to reconsider.

"I don't know, Rico" Danny said, even though he had already made up his mind on the matter. He hated to give Rico false hope.

Rico eyes broke away from Danny's and landed on the locker Danny should have already opened by now. Rico hesitated before speaking, almost as if he was nervous "Is this about..."

* * *

Regina strutted the halls of West Hills High in her Manolo Blahnik peep toe pumps with an air of superiority, She was the Queen around these parts and she made sure everyone knew it. Lacey Porter her BFF strutted right beside her, just like two boss bitches. Regina had met Lacey exactly a year ago. It had been lunch hour when Regina spotted Lacey eating alone at the table beside them. Regina knew Lacey had to be new to West Hills being that she had never seen this girl before. She would have definitely remembered her face being that Lacey was strikingly beautiful. Regina took it upon herself to invite Lacey to eat with she and her friends and ever since then, Racey was born. The bond she grew to have with Lacey was stronger then any she had with the friends she's known since babies. Sarita and Phoebe were her best friends as well but Lacey held the number one spot. It was weird how close they had gotten in only a short period of time. Some things couldn't be explained though, just like UFO's or Sasquatch.

Regina followed her bestie to her locker, Lacey said she needed to put some books away. Regina was studying her nail bits thinking of how it was time for another manicure when her peripheral vision caught something worth looking at. Regina couldn't believe the sight before her as Lacey rummaged through her locker.

"Look at that" Regina said unable to break her eyes away from the scene ahead of her.

"What?" Lacey said still digging through her locker. She seem uninterested in whatever Regina was trying to get her to look at. Regina smacked her lips.

"Look" Regina demanded. Lacey finally turned her head in the direction where Regina gaze was held.

"Yeah, I found out last night" Lacey said bringing her gaze away from the kissing couple Nikki Westbrook and Charlie McBride and onto her blonde haired best friend.

Regina snapped her head to glare at her friend. "And you didn't tell me?"

Lacey laughed at how appalled Regina sounded. "My bad" She hadn't realize it was her duty to report every little bit of gossip she heard to Regina.

"It was on Celebrity Tonight last night" Lacey added after a moment while grabbing her Pre calculus book out of her locker.

"Poor Danny" She heard her friend say. Lacey closed her locker shut and brought her attention to the dark hair beauty himself. Danny was carrying on a conversation with Rico Santiago. He had a strained look on his face. Was he upset because of something Rico was saying or was he upset that his ex-girlfriend was playing tonsil hockey with her 'best friend' just five feet away from him?

"Maybe I'll give him some" Regina said with pity laced in her tone. Lacey jerked her head at Regina's words, settling her gaze back on her best friend.

Regina let out a loud laugh. "Kidding" She said placing a hand on Lacey's shoulder.

"I'm just kidding" Regina reiterated which caused Lacey to wonder what the look on her face must have displayed. Shock, Disgust, jealousy?

"He's a mess" Regina continued. "Plus I wouldn't want him turning fatal attraction on me" She added with a giggle. Lacey joined in, it was feigned though.

Lacey and Regina managed to make it to their classes before the tardy bell rung. Lacey tapped her pen slightly against her desk as she pretended to read along with Mrs. Kapowski. The monotone voice of her history teacher was seriously about to send Lacey into a state of comatose. The incessant tapping on her desk was the only thing keeping her awake. That and that busy mind of hers.

Lacey was pondering about how she would go about breaking into the music industry. Would she do like every other rich kid in this town and run to her mommy and daddy for help? Or would she do things the old fashion way, cutting an actual demo and sending it off to record labels?

Option two seemed more likely. Lacey would hate to take the easy way and get her dad to ask his industry friends for any favors. Lacey wanted to rely on her actual talent to getting her a record deal and not because of who her dad knew.

The first step Lacey needed to do was get into the studio, which meant she needed to find a music producer. Lacey made a mental note to ask Carter Lee, a classmate of hers who came from a musical family if he knew any good producers.

The moment the dismissal bell rung Lacey hurried out of class to catch up with Carter. He had zipped out of class so fast. Lacey had no choice but to chase after him.

"Carter!" Lacey said approaching him nearly out of breathe. God she really needed to get more active. She really should not be breathing this hard. Carter looked back to see who was calling his name. A smile touched his lips as if he was pleasantly surprised to see that it was her.

"Lacey" He said stopping in his tracks. "What do I owe the pleasure?" He said turning around to face her, his hazel eyes boring into hers. Lacey had to admit his eyes were one of the prettiest she's seen in her entire life.

"I need a producer" She said getting straight to the point. Carter cocked his head to the side. Clearly not what he was expecting to come from her mouth.

"I'm trying to get into singing and I figured since you are from a musical family that maybe you would know someone who could produce my demo" Carter bit down on his bottom lip as he took in what Lacey was asking him.

"Can you help me?" She asked after he still hadn't responded. He had a curious look on his face.

"_You_ want to sing?" He asked her, amusement written on his face as well as his voice, as if he couldn't believe shy Lacey porter wanted to pursue a career in singing. Lacey grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the lockers, they had been literally standing in the middle of the hallway.

"Yes. Can you help me?" She said starting to get impatient, she hoped it hadn't shown in her voice. She really needed his help.

"Of course I can" He said revealing his dimple.

"Okay, cool" Lacey said relieved. "I'll give you my email so you-"

"Or you can give me your number" He said cutting her off.

"Oh yeah. Sorry" She said embarrassed. "That would be a lot easier" He laughed.

"What's your number?" He said pulling out his phone. Lacey recited her digits to him as he programmed it into his Iphone.

"Okay Lacey" He begin, looking up at her again "I have to get to class but I'll call you so we can set up a session soon" Lacey shook her head in confusion. Did he just say so they could set up a session? As in he and her?

"What do you mean? I thought you were going to refer me to someone?"

"I thought _I_ could be your producer" Lacey must've been looking at him like he was crazy because he started to laugh.

"No offense Carter" She begin cutting his laughter off in the process. "but Im serious about this whole singing thing and I need someone who isn't in high school"

"That's fair" He said in a serious tone. "I know I'm young" He admitted. "But" He said holding up his index finger silencing her before she could say anything. "-I'm also good" He said both of his eyebrows lifting up in the process. "I'm trying to get my name out there too" He continued.

"And you'll be saving a lot of money with me" He concluded with a cheeky smile. Lacey still looked skeptical.

"Look, I'll send you a link to my sound cloud page, if you like what you hear let me know. If not I'll refer you to someone else" He said. That sounded fair. The least she could do was listen to his music before she straight out rejected him. If his music was wack then she would politely decline his services and he could give her contact info to another producer.

"Okay" She said finally.

"Great. I'll send you the link in a bit. I have to get to class" Shit. So did she. If she didn't get moving soon she would be tardy for her next class.

Lacey said goodbye to Carter before she heading off to her next class.

* * *

It was lunch hour and the gang was seated at their normal table outside on the patio.

"I asked Carter Lee to be my music producer" Lacey said after taking a bite from her slice of pizza. After listening to Carter's music she decided right away he was the producer for her. All conversations ceased at Lacey's announcement.

"Carter Lee?" Archie asked after a moment.

"Yeah" Lacey said bringing her gaze to her out spoken ex-boyfriend.

"Why?" Archie asked confused.

"Wait, Carter's a music producer?" Scott asked before Lacey could even answer Archie's question.

"Yeah and he's really dope" Lacey said pulling out her cell phone. She proceeded to play a track from Carter's sound cloud page.

"You're right. He is good" Phoebe said in agreement.

"I know. I'm so excited" Lacey said giddily. Lacey was finally going to start the process of working towards her ultimate goal. Landing a record deal.

"I'm happy for you babe" Regina said leaning over to squeeze Lacey's shoulder.

"Be careful" Archie said his green eyes narrowing in in Lacey. "Don't let him take advantage of you"

"I'm not" She said defensive "We already discussed his fees and everything. I ran everything by my dad. He's more than cool with it"

"No I meant-" Archie was cut off by Phoebe's squealing.

"Oh my god. I got the part" Phoebe said looking up from her phone.

"That's great Phoebe" Lacey said, genuinely happy for her friend. Phoebe deserve some good news. She had been struggling to land roles since making the decision of fully commit to acting again a few months ago.

"What's the part for? Sarita asked. Lacey looked at her pocket size friend. Sarita hadn't said much all lunch hour. Lacey wondered if something was bothering the Latin beauty. She would have to pry into her friend personal life later on. Maybe it was something Lacey could help with.

"A T-mobile commercial" Phoebe answered. Yeah Phoebe knew the role wasn't huge or anything but she couldn't really commit to anything long term at this point being that she still was in school.

"Congrats Phoebe" Sarita said

"Thanks" Phoebe said grinning from ear to ear. Sarita was happy to see Phoebe happy. Lacey as well. At least somebody was.

Sarita and her boyfriend Tyler Lewis who happen to be Phoebe's half brother, had gotten in the worst fight of the history of their two year relationship last night.

Sarita had said some things which caused Tyler to say some not so nice things, and soon things escalated to a scream fest between the two. Sarita had never seen Tyler so angry before. She guessed she could blame it on the stress of recording an album. Sophomore album a that. There was a lot of pressure from his record label to top the last one. The sophomore jinx was something he constantly worried about. So yeah, he was stressed...She would excuse his actions.. just this time.

Sarita looked over at her gorgeous friend Lacey Porter. She was too busy laughing at something Regina had said to even notice Sarita's eyes were on her. Lacey was such a doll but so naive at times. She hoped Lacey realized what she was doing getting into the career path she had chosen all but a day ago. The entertainment industry ate sweet naive girls like Lacey for breakfast. You had to have a tough shell to be able to withstand the rejection and just the overall cut throat ways of the industry.

Archie eyed his ex-girlfriend as she conversed with Regina. She was so happy laughing and giggling and carrying on with her best friend. Archie wished he could be that happy. He envied her. She was always cheerful. He was always angry. They were like night and day. No wonder why they hadn't worked out. There was also that other thing...Archie shook that thought out of his mind as he brought his eyes to the double doors that separated the patio from the cafeteria. Danny Desai had just walked through it which caused Archie's temperature to boil. God he hated Danny Desai with a passion. Everything that little prick did seem to upset him. Which wasn't normal. Archie really needed to get control of this little anger problem of his before he hurt someone.

"Danny" Regina shouted grabbing Danny's attention. Danny eyed the blonde while slowly approaching.

"Regina" Danny said unenthused as he stopped in front of their table. Even though Danny had been addressing Regina his brown eyes settled briefly on each member of their table. Archie noted how Danny eyes remained on Lacey longer then it had anyone else. Which angered him more.

Lacey quickly looked away, she must have noticed it too. Lacey was so shy. Which was endearing. She was the perfect girl. He could see why every straight guy at the school wanted her. She was unlike all the superficial barbies A.K.A the Regina's of WHH. Yes. Lacey was indeed different. Special. Archie felt a protectiveness with her. He felt it was his duty to look out for her. So when Archie heard Lacey would be working with Carter Lee. He immediately went in protective mode. He knew of Carter Lee only because his family was huge. Like icons. The Lee Fives is the name of the group Carter dad belong to which consisted of him and his four older brothers before he broke off into his solo career in the eighties, which happen to be the best thing he could have done because he then became the king of pretty much every genre imaginable.

Other then the common knowledge of Carter's family he knew nothing else regarding the inspiring producer. Well, besides the fact that his popularity rested solely on his family's name and good looks. Something he and coke head here had in common. Archie made a mental note to keep an eye on this Carter guy. He knew how guys could be when it came to naive girls. Lacey may have thought Carter was doing her a favor. But he was pretty sure pretty eyes wanted more then just the opportunity to create music with her.

"Why don't you join us?" Regina said sliding down the bench to make room for him. She proceeded to lightly pat the empty space beside her. Danny hand instinctively went up to his hair. He ran his fingers through his luscious locks, something he did when he was uncomfortable, while his eyes flickered over to Regina's friends once again, they all just stared at him. Archie in particularly glared at Danny, which caused Danny to chuckle. He couldn't help it, Archie literally had no reason to dislike him. They had been beefing since middle school and Danny still hadn't figured out why. One day they were friends the next day enemies. Just like that, no explanation what so ever.

"Nah, I think I'm going to join my friends over there" Danny said pointing his thumb at the same empty table he sat at the day before.

"There's no one there" Lacey said, speaking her first words to him in forever. Danny eyed the chocolate beauty as she gave him a bewildered expression.

"Yeah there is" Danny argued. "See that's Curley, Larry and Moe" He said using his index finger to point at the table while listing off the names of the three stooges. Danny couldn't help but smile as a smile tugged at the corner of Lacey's lips.

"I should go. Can't have em' waiting" Danny said with a smirk before turning on his heels and making his way towards the empty table he claimed yesterday.

"F*cking weirdo" Archie said once Danny was out of ear shot. Scott and Regina laughed. Lacey remained mute as she stared at the back of the mysterious boy as he retreated away from them.

"See kids this is a clear example as to why you shouldn't do drugs" Archie said with a chuckle.

"He was only joking" Lacey heard herself defending the dark haired cutie.

"Why are you always defending him?" Archie said rudely. Lacey looked around the table as her friends stared at her waiting on her to answer.

"Why are you always dogging him?" Lacey said flipping the question around on him. The curious eyes that was just on her was now on Archie.

"Because I can't stand the kid" Archie said, a little too loud for her liking.

Lacey sighed out of annoyance, what was new? Archie couldn't stand anyone. Lacey wondered sometimes if he even liked her.

Lacey brought her gaze back over to the dark haired boy as he sat down at the empty table for the second day in a row. Lacey eyed him as he took a swig of his soda. He didn't have any food with him today either. Lacey frowned at the thought. At that exact moment Danny eyes met hers as if he knew she was thinking of him. Just like moments before Lacey redirected her gaze and settled it on the soccer captain in front of her. His green eyes were boring into hers.

* * *

Phoebe was in the mist of having a convo with one of her best friends, Lacey Porter when their Drama teacher made a sudden announcement.

"Class" Mr. Hawthorne said grabbings everyone's attention. The previously rambunctious classroom silenced as he begin to speak.

"In honor of our schools production of Romeo & Juliet. I have decided that it's only fitting that our first assignment for the year..be..." Mr. Hawthorne smiled as the class hung on to his every word. "Drum roll please" He demanded suddenly to the class. The entire class joined in as they pounded their fist on their mimicking the sounds of a drum roll.

"Famous fictional couples" He said after the drum roll concluded. There were chatter around the classroom, the class clearly excited about the assignment.

"You guys will need to pair off, pairs of two obviously, opposite sex" There were groans from some of the students

"I know. I know" He said siding with the students about the assignment not allowing lesbian or gay couples.

"Blame Principal Tang" He said throwing the eccentric principal under the bus.

"Whatever couple you choose to go with, you will need to perform a scene from whatever fictional work said couple originates from. The top two performances will get to come along to the drama clubs annual trip to New York" There were gasp around the room. Phoebe looked at her friend Lacey. Lacey looked beyond geeked. She knew Lacey was really glad she made the decision to change her elective from choir to drama. A chance to go to New York where she was from. That had to be big for her. Phoebe knew Lacey would do whatever it took to win this trip. Phoebe was just excited, well maybe not as much as Lacey. She had another opportunity to be selected for the trip being that she was already a member of the drama club. Unfortunately, all members couldn't go, Mr. Hawthorne made the students work for their spots. It usually involved some type of charity work, which most of the kids around these parts weren't willing to do. But thanks to Phoebe's love for a good cause she always ended up being one of the few selected.

"You have until next Friday to work on this project" Thank god Phoebe thought. That gave her plenty of time for her and whoever her partner would be to rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.

"You will be graded on your acting of course, stage presence and last but not least chemistry. So make sure you choose your partner wisely" He said with a chuckle. Phoebe was already looking around the class to see if there was anyone she was remotely interested in being partnered up with. Her eyes laid on Kyle Peterson. The hunky inspiring thespian sat confidently at his desk as Mr. Hawthorne begin to ramble on again. He knew he was first dibbs when it came to who the girls wanted to be partnered with. He was an incredible actor plus he was a sight to look at. The confidence just oozed from him.

"So with that being said...Partner up" At that moment the class became chaotic. People were practically jumping out of their seats to pick their partners.

Phoebe hopped out of her seat along with them, not glancing back at Lacey for even a second. She hurried, making her way towards Kyle. Unfortunately she wasn't fast enough Whitney Taylor got to him before she could. Damn, she thought as she watch her mortal enemy snatch her scene partner from out of her grasp. She secretly loathe Whitney. Not because Whitney had snagged multiple roles Phoebe had been up for in the past but because Whitney thought because her mom was Gretchen Taylor that she deserved everything handed to her. Phoebe knew a lot of the roles she got was because of her mom. Meanwhile Phoebe had to rely on actual talent.

Hugely disappointed, Phoebe scoped out her next prey. Danny Desai. He had just walked through the door late as hell and she knew girls were going to pounce on him like a lion to a gazelle being that Danny had a few guest roles on a few hit shows, so people knew he could act. He was currently busy talking with Mr. Hawthorne clearly being brought to date on the assignment. Phoebe was making her way down the steps when Cole Farrell approached her. Cole was one of stars on the soccer team. Swoon worthy but arrogant as shit. Phoebe had never really interacted with him but she saw the way him and his soccer bros walked through school like they owned the place. It made her want to barf.

"Phoebe" He said with a wide smile that showed off nearly every perfect white teeth in his mouth.

"Be my partner?" He said lifting an eyebrow, his smile never faltering. Gosh his teeth were white, like really white, as if he lived in the dentist office. Phoebe was pretty much sure he had the whitest teeth she's ever seen in her life. It actually made her a bit self conscious.

"Um" Phoebe said looking in the direction of where Danny was standing just a few moments ago. He was gone, Mr. Hawthorne was now talking to Kyle and Whitney.

Where'd he go? Phoebe thought scanning the room. Her eyes finally settled on Danny as he ascended the auditorium steps. Shit. He had his eye on someone else...

Lacey looked stunned to pieces at seeing Danny Desai standing directly in front of her. He stood there looking down at her, both hands shoved in his pockets, long hair touching his shoulders, his brown eyes warm, a slight smile touching his full lips. To say she was surprised at the vision before of her was the understatement of the century.

"Lacey" The beautiful boy said, finally speaking. "Will you be my partner?"

**A/N Thanks you guys for your kind words. I appreciate all the feedback. It motivates me to continue this story :) So what are your thoughts? Remember Reviews = updates ;)**


	4. Aint All Bad

**A/N SRY about the wait. Bare with me folks I kind of lost my passion for writing. Hopefully my feelings change soon. Anywho Hope you enjoy the update.**

**Ain't All Bad**

Danny stared down at the beautiful yet shy Lacey Porter as she peered up at him wide eyes, her incredible thick dark lashes fanning her chocolate browns ever so lovely. A warm sensation shot through his body as he took in the incredible view in front of him. God she was beautiful. Like really beautiful. Lacey just stared up at him speechless. Uh Ohh. He had just asked her to be his partner and she still hadn't given him a response. That wasn't a good sign. Danny swallowed deeply as he waited. He was starting to feel self conscious. Why was it taking so long for her to answer him? Did she not want to partner up with him? Did she think he was a horrible actor? Assuming that she even saw any of his past work. Danny had been on a few T.V shows. C.S.I Los Angeles, Victorious, I Carley. Just small guest roles, so now that he thought about it she probably hadn't...Danny also wondered if her hesitation had anything to do with his stint in rehab. Could it be possible that Lacey thought he would be unreliable? That was definitely something to consider.

Danny was just about to open his mouth to speak when she finally gave him her answer.

"Sure Danny" Thank God. Danny mentally let out a sigh of relief. He was beyond relieved she hadn't turned him down. Danny hadn't had any other choices in mind when Mr. Hawthorne informed him he would need to partner up with someone. When he looked out onto the crowd of students, Lacey was the only face he saw. He couldn't believe no one hadn't snatched her up already, so he made it his mission to get up the stairs as quickly as humanly possible before anyone else noticed the mocha complected beauty wasn't partnered with anyone. He couldn't have anyone snatch her from up under him. Uh uh. No way.

"I would love to" She continued giving him a sweet smile that revealed that oh so lovely dimple of hers.

He could feel a smile playing on his lips as well as he took a seat down beside her. Danny turned his body slightly to face hers. She mimicked his actions.

"I thought you were going to say no" He heard leave his mouth. Danny wasn't sure why he blurted that out.

Lacey opened her mouth to speak but quickly shut it. She was about to reveal that she was actually shocked he asked her but thought better of it. She didn't want him thinking the thought of being partnered up with him left her speechless.

"You were" He accused taking her hesitation of answering his question as confirmation that she was indeed about to turn him down. "Ouch" Danny added with his right hand covering his heart as he studied her face.

"No" Lacey said shaking her head. "..Don't be silly Danny" Lacey continued, assuring him while shifting her eyes from his to her desk.

"Okay" Danny said slowly while eyeing her down. Lacey was looking down at her notebook. "I'll take your word for it" He added with a smirk. Even though she couldn't see it, being that she was avoiding his gaze.

"So" Lacey said before clearing her throat. She brought her eyes back up to Danny's. "Any ideas on which couple we should choose?" Lacey continued.

Danny pursed his lips as he took a second to think. He begin to slowly shake his head, clearly having absolutely no idea of who he wanted to portray. Lacey laughed.

"Mr. Hawthorne" Whitney Taylor said addressing the lovable drama teacher. She spoke loud enough to grab everyone's attention. Lacey eyed the blonde actress as she begin to speak. "Is the assignment limited to just literary work or can we chose couples from film as well?" Good question Lacey thought, that would definitely expand their options.

"Ah. Yes you can Miss Taylor. Sorry for not clarifying this" Mr. Hawthorne said apologizing to the pretty blonde before bringing his gaze up to the class as they hung onto his every word. "You can choose from movies, plays, television shows, books, ect."

Lacey and Danny immediately turned to face each other after Mr. Hawthorne finished addressing the class.

Lacey was first to speak. "Noah Calhoun and Allie Hamilton" She said unable to contain her excitement.

Danny furrowed his eyebrows. He stared at her with a confused expression settled on his handsome face. "Who?" He finally asked.

Lacey eyes grew exceptionally big. Was he serious? Was this like a joke or something? Who didn't know Noah and Allie? When Danny continued to give her a blank stare. She realized he was serious. "The Notebook" She said with slow deliberation. "A Nicholas Sparks novel that was made into a movie" She continued after he still hadn't responded. "Ryan Gosling...Rachel McAdams played the characters" Danny gave her an 'Ohhhhhhhh' look clearly now recognizing who she was referring to.

"I've never watched it" He admitted clearly embarrassed. Lacey nearly shook her head at his confession until she remembered he was a teenage boy. Guys weren't typically into lovey dovey movies or 'chick flicks' as they like to say.

"Well we're going to have to change that..." She said with a smirk. Danny bit down on his bottom lip.

"Unless you don't want to" She said mortified she hadn't even asked him if he was cool with her choice. She just decided for the both of them. "I'm sorry, I didn't even asked you if you wanted to portray them"

Danny chuckled lightly. "Well, I was actually leaning more towards Alladin and Jasmine" He said with a tight closed mouth smile. Lacey eyes widened briefly before speaking. Danny wanted to laugh at her expression.

"Hmmm...Aladdin and Jasmine" She pondered, tapping her chin while looking up at the ceiling "I guess we could work that out-"

Danny startled Lacey by letting out a loud laugh. A hearty one. Lacey stared at him as if he was crazy. Which caused him laugh even more hysterically. By then he was attracting stares.

"Sorry" He said to Mr. Hawthorne who was eyeing him down. Mr. Hawthorne nodded before bringing his eyes back to Phoebe and Cole who were standing in front of him.

"Joking Lacey" He said lowering his voice as his eyes were back on her.

"I knew that" Lacey said fibbing. Of course he was kidding. What was she thinking?

Danny chuckled again, lower this time. Clearly not buying her response.

"I did" She said continuing with her lie.

"Okay" He said quickly while carrying on with that adorable smirk. Lacey lowered her eyes to her hands. She couldn't afford to start crushing on Danny Desai again. He was a complete mess like Regina said. Lacey was now hoping she made the right decision of accepting his invitation of being his partner. Would Danny be able to commit to this assignment? Would he be reliable? Lacey desperately wanted to go to this trip to New York. She hadn't been back home in a year. She needed that feeling of familiarity again, even if it was just for a few days. Los Angeles may be one of most beautiful cites in the world, but it was no New York. Not by a long shot. Lacey hoped Danny would take this assignment as seriously as she did.

"Your choice is fine" Danny said grabbing her attention again. Lacey was happy to hear those words leave his mouth.

* * *

"I am not doing it" Phoebe said through clenched teeth as she stared at her imbecile partner Cole Farrell. Phoebe would seriously strangle him if he didn't let this whole Bonnie and Clyde thing go. It was almost as bad as the first idea he threw out. Princess Leia and Hans Solo. Goodness.

"Marge and Homer Simpson?" He said not affected by her clear annoyance.

Wow. Was he serious? Marge and Homer Simpson. He wanted them to portray The Simpsons. _The Simpsons for god sakes!_ God how was she stuck with meat head for a partner? Oh yeah, because her first and second choice were already taken. Kyle with her sworn enemy Whitney. Danny now partnered with her good friend Lacey Porter. Phoebe sighed as she brought her eyes to her shy friend and the former soccer star turned drug addict. Lacey looked to be her same ol' quiet self. Danny seem to be doing most of the talking as she stared down at her desk.

"Why not?" Meat head said gaining her attention. Phoebe shifted her eyes from Danny and Lacey and back onto beautiful Cole. Beautiful No Brains Cole.

Phoebe took a moment to suppress her growing annoyance before answering. "Because it's a cartoon..." She said failing to keep her attitude from coming through.

"So what? He didn't say we couldn't do cartoons." It being a cartoon was only _one_ of the reasons why Phoebe was against the idea. She thought it was incredibly sad that Cole couldn't see that.

"Nope, not doing it" Phoebe said refusing to continue to argue with him. Cole sighed heavily.

"What about Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy?" Phoebe suggested

"Who?" Cole said with a dumb founded expression. Why wasn't she surprised he wasn't familiar with Pride and Prejudice?

"Nevermind" She said, not in the mood to explain who they were to him.

"Oh I know who we can play" Cole said excitedly. Phoebe propped her chin up with her knuckles as she stared at the dark hair soccer star. This should be good...who did he have in mind now? Eric and Ariel from the little mermaid?

"Monica and Chandler from friends" Phoebe wanted to burst into laughter. A small smile touched her lips. She was amused. Like this was truly hilarious. "Unless you want to go with the obvious Ross and Rachel instead" That did it. Phoebe couldn't help but erupt into laughter. She didn't care that she was disrupting the class and people were staring. This boy was actually serious as a heart attack with his suggestions.

"Miss Daly" Mr. Hawthorne said as she continued her fit. "Can you please keep it down?"

Phoebe hand flew to her mouth as she tried to quiet her laughter. She failed miserably. She couldn't contain her uncontrollable giggles for anything.

"Miss Daly" Mr. Hawthorne said in a stern tone. Phoebe looked up at her teacher. He was standing up now, his arms folded over his chest. His green eyes glaring at her from behind his glasses.

"Sorry" Phoebe apologized finally getting control of herself.

Mr. Hawthorne rolled his eyes as he took a seat back in his chair. Phoebe looked around the room at all the eyes on her. She suddenly felt embarrassed. They probably thought she was insane. She was carrying on like the joker with her ridiculous stretches of laughter. Phoebe was told her laugh was interesting to say the least.

"Sorry" She said, this time apologizing to the class.

Phoebe was surprised to see a visibly upset Cole staring back at her. "You got your laughter out?" He asked peeved.

"Sorry" She said to him, apologizing for the third time today.

"Whatever" He said with an attitude. Phoebe hadn't meant to upset him, she couldn't help it though. His suggestions were preposterous.

"I don't see you coming up with anything better" He added shifting his eyes away from hers.

That was debatable but Phoebe would keep her mouth shut. No need to further upset him.

"What about The Phantom and Christine Daae?" Phoebe said offering a suggestion.

"Oh my god" Cole said slowly, dropping his head back. "Why?" He said clearly talking to God. Whatever. Phoebe shared the same sentiments.

* * *

"I think we should start practicing right away" Lacey said excited she would get to portray her absolute favorite couple of all time. She absolutely adored this couple. She had watched the Notebook at least a hundred times. "I have the movie at my house if you wanna come by and watch it after school"

Danny lifted an eyebrow. "Or I could let you borrow it" Lacey said nervously. What was she thinking inviting Danny over to her house? He clearly didn't care to come over. She could tell by the expression on his face.

"No I think that's a good idea" Danny said surprising her with his response. "How else are we supposed to practice?" He asked rhetorically.

"I just need to call my driver and tell him I'm riding with you today" Lacey wondered what her face revealed because Danny added.

"Unless you don't want me too" He said studying her.

"I want you too" She said a little too quickly. Gosh. Why did she have to answer so quickly and _eagerly_ at that.

Danny laughed. Reminding her of that boy she met on her first day of WHH just a year ago.

"Good" He added after a moment.

* * *

Danny stood by his locker after final period to put away his books and gather the ones he needed for homework. Once he collected everything he needed, he shut his locker closed. He glanced down the congested hall in attempts to see if Lacey was still rummaging through hers. He was supposed to ride with her to her house, where they would practice for their assignment for drama class. She looked to be carrying on a conversation with her younger sister Clara. Danny eyes darted away from the siblings as he pulled his cell out of his pocket. He checked his email for the third time today, Ugh. still nothing.

* * *

Regina dropped the top as she cruised the streets of Beverly Hills. Allowing her strawberry blond hair to blow freely in the wind. Regina loved this time of year. Not really summer anymore but not really fall either. Well, the weather that is. The weather was always perfect this time of year, the sun was as bright as ever but the humidity didn't make it feel like you were in the Sahara desert. Regina was thinking about how it would be nice to hit up the beach this weekend, invite her girls. They could make a day of it. Maybe they would go to Santa Barbara. Regina came to a stop light. Her mind started to wonder off to the party she was planning this Friday. She had just three more days to get everything in line. The DJ who was supposed to DJ her party pulled out at the last minute. Apparently Kylie Jenner's birthday party was more important than her back to school bash. Ugh. Whatever. Regina desperately needed to find a replacement DJ _stat_, or else she would have to cancel. And that couldn't happen. She was known for her annual back to school bashes. Every kid who was somebody came to her parties. And this year would be no different. This party was going to happen. Even if she had to hire a no name DJ. Regina shuddered at the thought. Thank god her parents were leaving tonight for a Medical conference. They would be gone the whole weekend, which was perfect.

Regina was suddenly brought out her thoughts by the sound of a blaring horn. At first she thought it was the car behind her honking because the light had changed and she hadn't noticed. But it wasn't, the light was indeed still red. The noise had come from the car beside her. Regina eyes settled on the car beside her. A 2014 Porsche 911 Carrera, Red. Regina panties immediately moisten. Regina couldn't help it, that was her dream car plus she she had a fetish for expensive things.

"Hey baby" The driver, a middle age guy with thinning gray hair said as his window rolled down.

"Looking good" He continued, clearly flirting with her. Which gave Regina the creeps, he was old enough to be her father. Regina gave him a small smile before shifting her eyes back ahead. She refused to entertain this clown.

"Don't do that. Blondie, Let me take you out" She heard baldy say. Finally the light turned green. Regina sped off in her Audi A5 leaving receding hairline in the dust. This car could really go fast when she needed it too. Regina loved fast cars, She loved Porsche's to be specific. She begged her parents for one last year but they ended up getting her this second rate piece of crap. Regina would definitely broach the subject up to them again. She had been a 'good girl' all summer staying out of trouble, cutting her partying down to a minimal. No more getting wasted out of her mind. No more hanging out with the wrong crowd. She had really changed her party girl ways. Okay Yeah, she was planning on throwing the biggest party of the century this weekend but she couldn't help it, it was a tradition at this point. People lived for her parties.

When Regina made it to the lovely gated community of Mulholland Estates. She drove until she reached her mansion. She swerved her car around to the garage hitting the remote in the process. The garage door lifted and Regina parked her car beside her dads Bentley. Regina rolled her eyes as she let the hood up on her convertible. So her dad could have a quarter million dollar car but she had to settle for one that cost not even fifty grand? Such bullshit. What's fifty more grand for her dream car?

Regina grabbed her history and pre cal book out of the passenger seat. Yes, this year she would actually do her own homework. Gone were the days of sweet talking her nerd pet Doug to doing it for her. She was a changed woman. Plus she wouldn't want to upset his girlfriend Eloise..._Sike_. Ha. She could give zero fucks about the over weight retainer wearing nerd. Regina let out a small giggle as she thought about how much that nobody despised her. The way she glared at Regina was hilarious. If Regina didn't know any better she would think the girl was secretly plotting her murder. Eloise could relax this year though. She was done using her boyfriend to get herself a passing grade.

Regina let herself inside, entering the kitchen. "Hello, Pierre" Regina said as she walked past the families personal chef.

"Miss Regina" The Parisian said with a closed mouth smile. Regina couldn't help but smile back. She always thought Pierre was a cutie with his dark shoulder length hair, the goatee that framed his perfect mouth, the mocha colored eyes, his to die for olive skin tone. He was more than a cutie actually, more like a Greek god. He sort of reminded her of Danny Desai. Well, what Danny would look like if he was fifteen years older. But Pierre was hotter, he was out of the still a teenager not yet a man phase that Danny was in. Yeah Pierre was all man. His body looked like it was carved personally by god himself. Absolutely perfect. Regina would catch herself starring out of her window at him when he took his evening dips in the pool. Which wasn't too often, even though he resided in their guest house he was hardly ever there. If Regina was grown, hot and single as Pierre was, she would never be home either. Yes, Regina knew of his relationship status. She stalked his Facebook account on a regular basis.

"Smells good" She said glancing back at him.

"Chicken Francese" He replied with a grin. His heavy accent warming her insides.

"Can't wait to taste" She said with a wink. The double meaning not lost on him, Pierre smiled, a grande one stretching from ear to ear. Ugh. He was hot.

* * *

"Bienvenidos a mi casa" Lacey said speaking the little bit of Spanish she did know. She glanced back at Danny as he crossed the threshold into her home.

"Gracias Senorita" He said as his eyes scanned the foyer.

Lacey chuckled. "You speak Spanish too?" She teased, making fun of the fact that neither one was truly fluent.

"Un poco" He said holding up his index finger and thumb barely an inch apart to illustrate very little.

"Yeah, me too" She said leading him into the living room, past the dining room, down a long hallway and into the theater room.

Danny took a seat on one of the many leather chairs that filled the room. They had the whole movie experience going on in here. It was nice. Danny didn't have a theater room in his home. It would actually require him and his dad to actually be a real family sometimes. There were no Sunday movie nights going on at The Desai's. He and Vikram never spent quality time together. Like _never_. Vikram was always on the go. Danny used to be the same. Last year, before he entered rehab. Before he fell into a dark hole. Before he thought life had no purpose. Before he was a single man. That thought made him think of Nikki and how she dissed him this morning. Carrying on with Travis Barker right in front of him. He thought he would seriously barf right there in the middle of the hallway. Thankfully he hadn't. That would have really given them something to talk about.

Danny mentally sighed as he thought about all the talk surrounding his life as of lately. With the media coverage dissecting every little aspect of is personal life, the gossip rags posting unflattering pictures of him, with covers titled 'Dumped and Addicted' the paparazzi snapping pictures every time he left the house. Things were insane. Danny secretly wished he was never born into The Desai family. He wished he was a normal kid, who lived in some town no ones ever heard of. Maybe somewhere in Iowa or Idaho...Living a unremarkable life in a unremarkable town. Far from the glitz and glamor and cut throatiness that was L.A. L.A. was definitely not a city for the weak. You had to be strong to withstand the pressures of Hollywood.

He hated he was from this god forsaken town. Yep. Born and bred in Los Angeles, California. As his parents had been. His grandparents on the other hand were both immigrants. His dad parents from India. His mom parents were Canadian. Both families came to America for a better life. Which they achieved. Vikram's dad had started The Luxury hotel chain. Which was the most recognized hotel chain across the united states. Karens Dad, came to partly own one of the most well known and lucrative production companies in Hollywood. Both families having one thing in common, a dream, and the will to follow through with it. Danny would never have to worry about money. He was set for life, as well as his kids kids would be.

Danny watched Lacey as she search through her collection of DVD's. He couldn't believe he was in her home sitting in her movie room about to watch The Notebook. Danny wanted to laugh. What had he gotten himself into? Allowing her to chose a couple he knew absolutely nothing about. Danny eyed her as she continued to search through her extension collection. Danny swore The Porter's had to have at least five hundred movies on that shelf.

"Need any help?" He offered.

Lacey turned around to look at him. A smile formed on her lips as she begin to answer him. "No, I'm good. Thanks for offering" She said turning back around. Danny nodded his head even though she had already turned back around.

"They're supposed to be in alphabetical order. But I guess someone put it in the wrong spot" And by someone Lacey meant Clara. Clara loved The Notebook as much as she did. But Clara def tried to down play it. Lacey knew better though, the movie had been misplaced too many times for Lacey to be the only one watching it. Judy didn't watch much movies, plus she couldn't stand Ryan Gosling. Which was absurd. Who could dislike Ryan freaking Gosling? A crazy person that's who. Her mom was clearly insane.

Danny let out a quiet chuckle. "Who alphabetizes movies?"

Lacey let out a giggle. "Me" She said not bothering to turn around to face him as she spoke. Lacey had always been a very organize person. Lacey could remember being a kid and organizing her toys based on their level of fun. Yeah. She was _that_ girl.

Danny remained silent as he watched Lacey, She stood on her tippy toes, bringing attention to her legs. Danny wet his lips as he couldn't help it. Her legs went on for days. Even though she wore white knee high stockings, the exposed skin from her knee to mid thigh did something to his body.

"Found it" She said turning around. "Can you believe it was in the 'N's instead of 'T's" She said shaking her head disapprovingly.

Danny would've laughed if it hadn't been for the fact that he was too transfixed on the bit of cleavage that seem to suddenly be peeking out from her elbow length button down white collar shirt. Her red tie was loosened tremendously and the buttons on her shirt was undid enough to expose her chocolate colored bosom. Why hadn't Danny noticed this before? Clearly she hadn't been walking around school like this all day. He definitely would have noticed. Yeah. Definitely. Plus she would have sent the boys into a frenzy. God. She looked unbelievably sexy in her uniform. Danny didn't know why the girls uniform excited him so much.

Lacey suddenly cleared her throat. Shit. She caught him staring at her breast. Danny gave her a bleak look before shifting his eyes away from her cleavage and down to his hands.

Lacey eyed Danny as he looked down embarrassed by the fact that she caught him staring at her breast. Lacey almost laugh. She couldn't dare be upset about it. He was after all a guy. It was in his DNA to look. Lacey also wasn't going to think too much of it. She doubt he was secretly crushing on her.

Lacey walked over to the DVD player, she inserted the movie and proceeded to turn on the projector. She didn't bother to hit the lights. Something about being alone in a dark room with Danny Desai didn't sit right with her. She by no means thought he was a creep but she just didn't think it was a good idea. If one of her parents walked into the room she didn't want them assuming anything. Once the movie started Lacey sunk down in the seat beside Danny. She briefly looked at him before focusing her eyes on the One hundred and thirty inch projection screen ahead of her.

Danny swallowed hard as he couldn't help but glance at the exposed thigh on display as Lacey crossed her legs. Sweet Jesus. What the hell was going on? Why couldn't he keep his eyes from wandering to her succulent skin? And when did he have such an extreme attraction to Lacey Porter? Danny always thought she was one of the most beautiful creatures that graced the planet. But that was it. He recognized her beauty, as he did with a lot of woman and keep it moving. Maybe Danny had been so caught up in his relationship with Nikki that he never really paid attention to any other girls besides her. Which was a good thing he guessed. Of course it was. When Danny was committed to someone he was committed. He prided himself on having never cheated on any of his past significant others. Girls threw themselves at him left and right but he couldn't be any less bothered. At least when he was in a relationship that is.

Lacey had never thrown herself at him though. He wondered if it would have been different if she was the one offering her panties to him while he was taken. Could he have turned her down like he'd done with all the others? Danny honestly didn't know if he could. Lacey leaned over to grab the remote from the chair beside hers, her skirt sliding up, exposing more of her mocha colored thigh in the process. Danny quickly turned his head. He could feel a tent forming in his pants. Shit. Why hadn't Lacey cut the lights? Danny quickly ran his hand over his privates, pushing his erection down in the process. _Please stay down_ he silently prayed to himself. Danny could see out of peripheral vision Lacey sit up straight again. She pointed the remote towards the projector turning up the volume. Completely oblivious to the situation that was going on in his pants.

She finally brought her eyes to him. Staring at his profile before finally shifting her eyes back to the screen.

"What are you guys watching?" Danny heard someone say. Danny quickly brought his gaze over to the entrance of the theater room.

An Asian girl eyes met his as she entered the room. Danny recognized her face, she went to school with him.

Before he or Lacey could answer, Clara, Lacey's little sister answered her friend.

"The Notebook" She said her eyes on the screen. Danny eyed the sibling of his current acting partner. She had a slight smirk on her face as her eyes never left the screen. She looked alot like Lacey. Except for she was a bit lighter in complexion and her hair sat on her shoulders. Whereas Lacey's hung in loose waves down her back. She also seemed to be quite a bit shorter than her older sister. Lacey had to be around Five-eight, Five-nine. Definitely on the taller side. She could seriously be a model. Clara on the other hand looked to be average in height. Maybe around Five-five, if that. No doubt about it though the Porter sisters were definitely a sight to look at.

"Ryan Gosling? Hell yes!" The friend of Clara said sitting down beside Lacey. Lacey chuckled in response. Oh yeah he forgot. The girls loved them some Ryan Gosling. Nikki had the biggest crush on him. She couldn't stop fan-girling this one time they meet him for the first time at one of his movie premieres. She tried to pretend afterwards like she hadn't been flirting with him but Danny knew better by the huge smile that remained plastered on her face as they chatted with the actor. Danny had no idea she had so many teeth in her mouth.

"Clara" Jana said suddenly. Lacey turned her head in the direction of her younger sister. Clara eyes were still glued on the screen.

"Yeah?" Clara said, answering her best friend.

"Are you going to sit down or are you going to just stand through the entire movie?" That got Clara's attention.

"I don't care for this movie" Clara said before exiting the room.

_Yeah right_ Lacey thought as she watched her sister retreat from the room.

* * *

Sarita leaned into the mirror as she applied her mascara onto her already unbelievably long lashes. She was in the process of getting ready for a date night with her beau Tyler Lewis. They didn't get to have too many of these lately due to the fact that Tyler was extremely busy working on his next album. He literally lived in the studio. Which sucked for her as well as their relationship. Things have been quite rocky the past few months. Sarita thought her summer vacation would be awesome. She and her man getting in some quality time while there was no school to steal her time. Instead it had been complete hell. They rarely saw each other and when they did, they were screaming at each other. Sarita prayed to god things would get better. He and his band were almost done recording so things should go back to normal soon.

Sarita phone suddenly alerted her of a text message. It was probably him. She reached over to pick it up. Yep. It was him.

_I'm outside_

Sarita begin to type her response.

_Come inside_

Sarita sat down her phone. And picked up her mascara again. She was in the mist of applying mascara to her right eye when her text message alert went off again. Sarita didn't bother to check it, he probably just responded with 'Ok'

Ten minutes later Sarita heard a knock on her door. It was probably him.

"Come in" She shouted as she dug through her make up bag for her lip stick.

Sarita door opened, her mom stuck her head in. "Mija, Tyler's here"

"Okay, mom" Sarita said glancing at her mom from the reflection in her mirror. "Tell him I'll be down in a sec" Her mom gave a single head nod before shutting the door.

A short while later, Sarita face was beat for the gods, her hair laid like she was ready to shoot a hair commercial. And she wore her fit better than any runway model could ever dream of doing. Sarita grabbed her phone and Givenchy handbag from off the dresser and headed downstairs.

And like her mom said Tyler was seated in her living room watching sports center with her dad. Sarita noticed Lacey's Dad Samuel Porter clearly having a passionate debate with another Anchor, Sarita didn't know the name of the other guy. To say she wasn't into sports was the understatement of the century. She just knew of Lacey's dad, well because...he was Lacey's dad. Apparently he was like a big deal. Whatever.

"Hey, babe" Sarita said grabbing her boyfriend's attention. His eyes shifted from the sixty inch flat screen and onto her.

"Hey" He said, eyeing her down. His eyes took in her appearance, slowing falling down her body. She wondered if he liked what he saw. His face seem to be expressionless.

"Ready?" She questioned.

"Yep" He said raising up from the couch. Sarita smiled as she took in his appearance. He was dressed casually in a Nirvana T-shirt and jeans, he looked so delicious even dressed down.

"You kids have fun" Sarita's dad Jose said finally breaking his eyes away from the sports program long enough to see she and Tyler off.

"We will" Sarita said hoping that was true. Hopefully they could get back into the groove of things tonight. A romantic dinner should center them again.

"Not too much fun" Her dad said in a joking manner but she knew her dad was probably serious as a heart attack.

Sarita let out a chuckle. "Oh and don't forget tonight is a school night..." Her dad reminded them.

"Yes dad, we know" Sarita said to the husky man on the couch that she called her father.

"Yeah, don't worry Mr. Jimenez. I'll have her back before curfew" Tyler always did. That was one of the reasons her parents overlooked the fact he was nineteen years old. He was always respectful to their rules.

"I know" Jose said bringing his attention back the T.V.

Sarita lead Tyler out the house. The walk to his car was filled with utter silence. Weird. He hadn't complimented her on her outfit, inquired about her day. Nothing. Dead silence. It wasn't until he started up the car and pulled out her driveway when he finally spoke.

"I don't appreciate you making me wait twenty freaking minutes while you put on your face" He said in a gravelly tone while glancing at her. His facial expression revealed that he was highly upset. Sarita was completely taken aback by his words and his bilious expression for the matter.

"Are you serious?" Sarita asked while staring at him like he had lost his mind. So what he had to wait a few extra minutes while she finish getting ready?

"I told you what time I was coming over. You should've been ready" He continued in that low rough tone he used moments ago.

"I lost track of time. Sue me" She said flippantly.

"Ohhh... So you think it's okay to waste my time?" He questioned.

"Huh?" He yelled when she hadn't answered.

"Tyler shut up" She yelled back at him. Tyler mouth hung open as he pulled to the side of the road. God. Here we go again...

* * *

Danny sat at his desk on his laptop as he let the music from his head phones drown out all the thoughts that were floating around his head right about now. He was having those racing thoughts again, so he decided to work on his mix tape to help take his mind off things. Danny had a passion for music so him wanting to be a DJ wasn't really a surprise.

Danny once had a dream of traveling the world becoming like a Calvin Harris or Deadmau5. Now he didn't want the fame that those DJ's acquired. He just wanted to do what he loved without the all the other bullshit.

Danny was actually very musically talented. He could sing. Play the guitar. The piano. Write music. He even dabbled a bit in producing. A lot of what he learned was from Mitt Dagger. Nikki's rock legend father. Danny loved that man like he was his own father. Probably more that his own father. Mitt was always there for him. Even visiting him a few times when he was in rehab. He would have to give Mitt a ring to thank him for being there. It's a shame when the father of your ex-girlfriend visits you in rehab more that your own dad.

Danny sighed thinking about how much his dad sucked. Of course Vikram made excuses for barely visiting. He was busy, He had a company to run is what he would say. Yeah, so did a lot of parents but they still made time for their kids. What would it take for Vikram to see that family was the most important thing in the world? You would think the tragic death of his wife would have taught him that. Karen, Danny's deceased mother taught him the value of family early on. It hadn't took her dying for him to realize this. God. He missed her everyday. Unlike his dad, she always made time for him when she was living. Now Danny had no one. Well, anyone that he was close to that is. He used to have a good relationship with his grandparents but both of his grandparents on his dad side were dead. His moms mother was still alive but she had Alzheimer's so she barely knew who he was most of the time. She was living in a nursing facility in West Hollywood. Thinking of his Nana was causing him to think about The Notebook and how Allie's character suffered from the very same disease. What a great story of how true love could conquer all. Danny was actually surprised that he enjoyed the story as much as he did. He wasn't going to lie, he didn't know what to expect when Lacey suggested it. But now he could totally see himself and Lacey portraying the characters for their drama class. Who knows, maybe they might actually be one of the two groups who got selected to go to New York City. Danny definitely needed a change of scenery even if was for a few days.

The vibration from his cell phone brought Danny out of his thoughts. Danny removed the headphones from his ears as he picked up his phone from off the desk. Danny looked at the screen. It was from an unknown number. Danny didn't answer, sending it to voicemail instead. The standard voice message service would kick in and take their message. If Danny knew anything from being a celebrity he knew not to answer unknown numbers. Anyone he wanted to speak to was already programmed in his phone. Danny had a stalker before and it was nothing he wanted to experience again.

Danny noticed he had a new email. Danny bit down nervously on his bottom lip as he opened his Gmail account.

**Thanks for reading and don't forget to review :) Remember Feedback=Updates**


	5. Strictly Acting Partners

**A/N Hey Dolls, I've gotten a few update request for this, so I decided to update. EnJoy!**

**Strictly Acting Partners**

The corners of Lacey's mouth couldn't help but curve up into a slight smile as she stared down at her cell phone. She re-read the text message she had just received moments ago for the third time in a row.

_Thanx 4 the movie. It was fun._

Lacey continued to cheese as she typed her response to her acting partner.

_No prob ;)_

Lacey didn't know why she was so giddy over a text message. So what Danny had text her? It wasn't like anything he wrote could be interpreted as him liking her in a romantic way. Nope. He simply expressed his enjoyment of watching a movie with her. A movie they needed to watch for their drama class at that. Yep. They were only acting partners. Not like it was a date. Dates didn't consist of Danny, herself and Jana.

Ugh Jana. Why do you insist on ruining my alone time with Danny? _No. Study time_ she corrected her thoughts.

Lacey was brought out of her thoughts by a sudden knock on her door.

"Who is it?" She said her eyes flickering over to the door.

"Its Clara" Her younger sister said from the other side.

Lacey eyebrows knitted. What did Clara want? She had been rather cold to her all day. Not uttering a single word to her at breakfast this morning. Getting snarky with her at school today when Lacey simply inquired if Clara needed a ride home. Pretending she didn't want to watch The Notebook just so she wouldn't have to be around her. And this was all because she was still pissed about Lacey not allowing her to wear her Louboutin's yesterday.

"What do you want?" Lacey said with a slight attitude. If Clara could play that game. So could she.

"Can I talk to you?" Clara said, her tone was soft, almost warm. Not ill natured like earlier. She must have finally let it go. _Thank god._ Clara was known to hold on to grudges _forever_. This could have easily went on into next year.

"Yeah, come in" Lacey said sitting up straight. Clara slowly opened the door. She stepped inside. Lacey watched her sister entered her room with weary eyes.

"What's up?" She said, trying her best to sound disinterested. Clara walked towards Lacey bed. She stopped at the foot of it. Her eyes settled on the comforter before slowly shifting up to Lacey.

"What's up with you and Danny?" Clara said as she took a seat on Lacey's queen size bed, her question taking Lacey by complete surprise.

"What?" Lacey couldn't help but blurt. She had to say when Clara asked her if they could talk, she had no clue they would be discussing Danny.

"Are you guys dating?" Clara asked flat out. Lacey could feel her brows knitting together. Where was this line of questioning coming from? Why was Clara so concerned about she and Danny's relationship? Not that they even had a relationship. Lacey definitely wouldn't consider them friends or anything. They were strictly acting acting partners. Yeah. That was all. Just acting partners.

"Why?" Lacey said slowly while eyeing her sister down. Clara shifted on the bed, turning her body more towards Lacey while crossing her arms over her chest.

"Because Jana seems to think you guys have something going on..." Clara said, surprising Lacey. Jana?

"Well, Jana's wrong. Danny and I are just acting partners" Lacey stated matter of factly.

Clara let out what seem to be a sigh of relief. "I knew it" She said more to herself than Lacey.

"Okaaayy" Lacey said with extremely slow deliberation. Clara must have picked up on Lacey's confusion to the whole line of questioning.

"We sort of had a bet going on" Clara admitted. A bet? Wow. Lacey lifted both eyebrows in surprise. She couldn't believe Clara and Jana was placing bets on whether or not she and Danny had something going on beyond friendship.

"I told Jana you were too smart to ever get involved with blow"

"Blow?" Lacey said shaking her head, confused yet again.

Clara let out a chuckle before replying "That's just our little nickname for him" Clara said raising up from the bed.

Wow. How cruel. Lacey couldn't believe Clara was actually behaving like the kids at school. The superficial cruel hearted gossipers at school. Participating in the bullying of another classmate. Dubbing Danny Blow. That was low.

"That's really mean Clara" Lacey said, disgust clear in her tone. Clara rolled her eyes.

"Whatever" She said dismissively while turning around and heading for the door.

"Clara" Lacey said stopping her sister in her tracks. Clara turned around slightly.

"Yeah?" She said, raising a perfectly arched brow.

"Is that all you wanted to talk about?" Lacey said hoping there was more to Clara's evening detour to her room than just wanting to discuss Danny. Lacey hated the fact that she and her sister weren't close anymore. There was a time she and Clara were inseparable. They had been the best of pals up until they moved out to Los Angeles. Lacey didn't know what changed between them. It had to be more than just the change of scenery.

"Yep" Clara said curtly. Lacey just nodded in response, decidedly disappointed. She tried her best to not let it show though.

"Jana will be happy to know you two are just friends" Clara added, with a slight smirk.

"Oh?" Lacey inquired lifting her chin slightly.

"Yeah, she's pretty smitten" Lacey didn't know how to feel about that.

"I told her she's too good for him" Clara continued with another roll of the eyes. "She won't listen. She doesn't care he's a druggie"

"Clara we don't even know if that's true" Lacey found herself defending the boy she hardly knew.

Clara's eyes grew exceptionally big as she turned her body completely around to face her older sister.

"He spent the entire summer in rehab. Or have you forgotten?" Clara said looking at Lacey as if she had lost her mind.

Maybe she had. Why was she always so quick to defend Danny anyway? She didn't even really know him. He was essentially still a stranger to her. She knew nothing about him besides what she read in the tabloids.

"No, I haven't forgotten. But there's other addictions outside of drugs"

What was Lacey thinking? Danny could very well be a total drug head like they reported in the news. A real hardcore drug user. He could be into heavy stuff like cocaine, heroin, crystal meth. There was no telling what drug Danny Desai was possibly a slave to.

"Oooo what if he's a sex addict?" Clara said, the pitch in her voice raising tremendously. Lacey couldn't help but laugh at that. The funny thing was, Clara was beyond serious.

Clara joined in as Lacey continued with her fit. When their laughter settled, Lacey shook her head as she finally begin to speak. "He's not a sex addict" She said hoping her words was true.

Wait. Why was she hoping he didn't have an addiction to sex? It really shouldn't be any concern of hers what his addiction was.

"Yeah. You're probably right" Clara said after sucking her teeth.

"Well, whatever it is, it's bad enough where he had to check himself into rehab." Clara added leaving Lacey with something to think about. Lacey thought about that as she watch Clara leave her room. Clara was right. Danny was an addict of some sort. She really couldn't afford to fall for him again.

* * *

Archie looked up from his plate of food to his movie star dad who was sitting directly across from him. They were in the dinning area having dinner. He, his mom, his dad and his younger sister. The Yates rarely got to sit down and eat dinner as an entire family due to his dad busy schedule. His dad was always off filming his next big blockbuster. Must be nice to shoot in exotic locations for most of the year, come home to your family only when you're in between shoots, which was hardly ever. What Archie would give to be able to escape this hell hole for just one day.

"How was Thailand?" Archie asked his father, Thom Yates, biggest grossing action star of all time.

Thom looked up from his plate, his green eyes settled on Archie. "It was great" He said.

"Hot as hell" He added with a chuckle.

"Did you have fun filming... umm..what's it called?" Archie asked snapping his fingers, he couldn't remember the title of the movie for nothing.

All of his dads movies were all starting to sound alike a this point. Well, at least the plot was. Middle age man, who family is tragically murdered. He sets off in an action packed mission to avenge their death.

"No where to hide" His dad said answering him. Archie nodded his head. Yep. That was it.

"Isn't Dakota Manning playing your daughter?" His mom, Lori Yates, asked getting in on the conversation. Archie eyes darted over to his beautiful mother. She sat in her chair beside her super star husband, looking like the ultimate trophy wife. Her face flawlessly made up, Her bleach blonde tresses hung in loose waves just past her shoulders. Her neck, ears and wrist adorned in the finest jewelry. Jewelry his dad had gifted her with. She was perfect. Her green eyes, the same green eyes he had inevitably inherited being that both of his parents eyes were the same beautiful shade of emerald green, eyed her husband who was sitting right beside her.

"Yeah" Thom said after taking a bite out of his steak.

"Is she single? Maybe you can introduce her to Archie"His mom continued. Archie nearly rolled his eyes. His mom was always trying to set him up with some actress, or some singer, or some model type. She had no idea what his type even was.

Thom immediately looked up at Lori "What?" He asked as his eyes flickered over to Archie. "You and Lacey broke up?" He asked confused.

"Three months ago dad" Archie said trying to keep his irritation from showing through. His dad knew nothing about what was going on in his life. Truly sad.

"What? Why?" Thom asked with wide eyes.

"She was perfect for you. Pretty. Smart. Comes from a good family" Archie wasn't surprised by his dad words. He adored Lacey. He thought they made the perfect couple.

"We decided we we're better off as friends" Archie said giving that generic answer people did when they really didn't feel like going into details as to why things were over. Archie couldn't tell his parents why the relationship really ended.

"That's a shame. She was a nice girl" Thom said cutting into his steak.

"Yeah, she is" Archie said with a sigh.

"I miss Lacey" Aida, Archie's adopted little sister said somberly. She had been so quiet this whole time. Archie had almost forgot she was sitting right beside him. Archie brought his gaze down to the caramel colored little nugget. Archie parents had brought Aida home from Ethiopia when she was only six weeks old. She was now five.

"She was my friend" Aida continued. Yep. That was true. Aida loved Lacey and Lacey loved Aida. Lacey was always so sweet to his little sister, treating her as though she was her little sister as well. None of Archie's past girlfriends had ever shown much attention to his adopted sister. Lacey had really taken a liking to wide eyed little one.

"I know" Archie said bringing his hand up to pat Aida on the head.

"Lacey misses you too" Archie said, he was sure his words were true though Lacey hadn't expressed that to him. He and Lacey hadn't really hung out or had many conversations since the break up. Well, alone that is. They were constantly surrounded by others to ever have chance at a heart to heart.

"Then why won't she see me?" Aida asked with curious eyes. Archie stopped stroking Aida hair. God. Kids were so naive. They didn't realize when two people broke up that usually meant that was pretty much the end as far as the family interaction went.

"She's busy darling" Lori said. Aida grew even more somber. Archie looked at his mom briefly, Lori downed the rest of her champagne unaware she wasn't helping. His eyes settled back on his adorable little sister.

"Lacey was just talking about you today" Archie said lying with ease.

"What if I invited her over tomorrow?" He continued, eyeing the youngster.

"Please. Please. Please" Aida said excitedly, her face lighting up with joy.

Archie smiled. The twinkle in her eyes made his heart warm.

"That's a good idea. It'll be good to see Lacey again. Invite her over for dinner" Thom said with a broad smile.

"Alright. I will" Archie said with a forced smile of his own. Inside he was hoping and praying Lacey would accept the invitation.

* * *

"Danny" Ms. Hamilton called out, as Danny was getting ready to exit her classroom.

Danny swiftly turned around to face his beautiful blonde English teacher.

"I noticed you hadn't turned in your homework assignment" She said eyeing him intently. _Oh that._

"I had some personal issues going on last night. It completely slipped my mind. Can I perhaps turn it in tomorrow?" He said putting on the most charming smile he could muster, trying out his luck. The truth was he hadn't forgotten at all. Actually he fell asleep at his desk while working on it. Danny had completed half of it before he clunked out on his desk. Danny did however have other things on his mind like he said, which prompted him at starting on his homework assignments at the last minute.

It took a moment before she answered him. "Just this once" She said dourly. She gave him a look that said she was dead serious.

He nodded his head before thanking her. She hadn't so much given him a hint of a smile. Gosh, she was a tough cookie. Danny rarely needed to put any effort into charming his teachers but with this one he knew would be a different case.

Danny crossed the threshold into the busy hallway heading straight for his locker. When he reached his destination he put in his combination, actually remembering it, unlike yesterday. He exchanged out his English book for his History book. He slammed the locker shut as he noticed a flirty Nikki and Charlie pecking each other on the lips just a few feet away from him. Danny rolled his eyes as he walked past the kissing couple. Danny was halfway down the hall when he suddenly heard his name being called.

"Danny!" He knew that voice anywhere. He quickly turned around to see a beaming Lacey Porter approaching him. Danny studied her appearance, she looked just as beautiful as ever with her slender yet curvy frame fitting into her school's uniform oh so perfectly. Her tie was loosen just a bit, unlike yesterday afternoon when it had been damn near off. Her shirt on the other hand was unbutton just enough to see a hint of cleavage. She wore knee length stockings, this time they were black. And the little bit of thigh that was exposed...Lord... She wore her uniform better than any girl in this school could ever dream of doing.

Danny swallowed deeply as his mouth begin to water at the vision before him.

"Hey" She said stopping directly in front of him. Her dimple deepened in her cheeks as her smile grew wider. God those dimples were...

"Hey" He managed to get out."Whats up?" His voice deepening a bit.

"I was thinking-" Lacey brought her hand up. She begin tucking a few strains of loose hair behind her ear as she held her school books in the other.

"Maybe we could practice running lines at lunch" Danny eyebrows lifted at her words. "I printed out a few scenes from the movie that we can choose from."

"I figure the sooner we start practicing the better" She ended with another smile. This one not as broad as the last but enough to make his stomach flutter. Gosh, what was going on? Why was he suddenly crushing on Lacey Porter? Why couldn't he stop staring into her beautiful chocolate colored irises? Admiring her adorable dimple? Wanting to taste her full pouty lips?

Ugh. This was a problem. How was he ever going to get better and get his life back on track if his priorities weren't in line? His recovery should be the only thing on his mind right now. Not Lacey Porter and her endless legs.

Danny noticed her smile dissipating. Her brows furrowed down in a 'V'. She was staring at him like...like..

Oh. Shit. She was waiting on him to respond. Duh! _See Danny focus._ He mentally scolded himself.

"Yeah, sure. Sounds great" He said attempting to smile grandly but it came off as weak unbeknownst to him. Lacey studied his face before speaking.

"Okayyyy" She said slowly eyeing him "I guess..I'll..see you at lunch" Lacey said her voice not as chipper as before. Danny wandered what was up..

"Cool" He said with a single head nod. Lacey flashed a small smile before walking off to her next class.

* * *

Sarita stared down at her cell phone silently praying that it would ring or alert her of a text, _something_... It was lunch hour, and she was seated at her usual seat beside her bestie Phoebe at their table outside on the patio. Her friends were carrying on with their side conversations as she thought about she and Tyler's fight last night. This one was pretty bad compared to the others. After he pulled off to the side of the road, he yelled at her for nearly half of an hour. Nonsense about her supposedly wasting his 'precious time'. Ugh whatever. And then afterwards they were forced to go to In-N-Out since their scream fest in the car caused them to miss their reservations at Katsuya. Which was a complete waste of her outfit.

He even had the nerve to blame her for them missing their reservations. Complete bullshit. As if he couldn't yell at her and drive at the same time.

Sarita thought they could possibly start fresh when they got to In-N-Out, forget the blowout they had just had in car just before arriving and have a good remainder of the evening. _But nooooo_, of course they couldn't. It wouldn't be Tyler if he hadn't brought up the past and started new arguments. Sarita was literally at her wits end. She couldn't continue to take such abuse. No, he didn't physically abuse her but his words were just as powerful as any punch or slap could ever be. Her mom always told her never to continue to stay with someone just because you're comfortable.

She had literally known Tyler her whole life. Since she's known Phoebe... and that had been since they were in grade school. Second grade if she weren't mistaken. It could have possibly been third grade though. Whatever grade, she had known Tyler since she was a kid.

Ever since meeting him for the first time at Phoebe's birthday party at the zoo, she had known there was something about him. Something special. She admired how brave he was regarding the animals, always wanting to pet them and whatnot. He was always so fearless. Even when some of the other kids started freaking out.

The crush had been one sided up until she turned fourteen. She started to notice his attraction towards her when she and Regina would spend the night at the many slumber parties Phoebe would host. She would catch him staring at her. Or he would hang around instead of playing videos games in his room like he normally did. She had just hit puberty, he was already going through it being that he was sixteen, so their attraction for the opposite sex was finally setting in. Tyler had surprised her one night when she was there at their home. At this time she was fifteen, he seventeen. He woke her out of her sleep, she had been sleeping in her sleeping bag, soundly at that, on the floor in living room. Sarita didn't know what was going on when she felt hands on her back shaking her awake. At first she thought it was one of the girls but the sound of his voice informed her that it wasn't. He took her to his room where they kissed for a bit before she rushed back off to the living room. She was so scared one of the girls would wake up and noticed she wasn't there. A couple of slumber parties later she and Tyler officially started dating.

"Sarita" She heard her name being called, essentially snapping her out of her thoughts of the good ol' days. Times of bliss. Before Tyler's temper got the best of him.

"Huh?" She said looking up at the green eyed soccer star. He gave her a weird look before answering.

"I said, have you seen Lacey?" He continued to eye her with that look he gave when he was annoyed. Which was nearly all the time. Sarita had no clue he had been trying to get her attention. She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts.

"Nope" She said. She was also so distracted she hadn't even realize Lacey was missing from the group.

"Speak of the devil" She heard Scott say as her eyes darted over to the double doors that separated the cafeteria from the patio. Sarita's eyes followed his. And just like he said, there was Lacey. All five feet-eight inches of her, walking through the door with...

Wait a trucking minute... This couldn't be right. Sarita rubbed her eyes to make sure she was seeing things correctly.

Yep. She indeed was, she thought after blinking them a few times.

Lacey had just walked through the doors with Danny Desai. The strikingly handsome yet drug addicted Danny Desai.

What was going on? Were the two of them an item now? Gosh. What was wrong with Lacey? Was she that hard up for a boyfriend that she would stoop so low as to dating a boy who clearly had issues with drug abuse and god knows what else.

Archie's nostrils flared, he couldn't believe what he was witnessing. Lacey and Danny walking side by side as if they were a couple. He wanted to punch something.

Since when did Lacey start hanging out with coke head?

"What is going on?" Archie blurted.

"I don't know, but I'm definitely going to find out" Regina said before waving her hand in the air in attempts to garner Lacey and Danny's attention.

"Lace" Regina yelled. Lacey turned her head to where they were sitting.

"Danny's her partner" Phoebe said to no one in particular.

"She's dating this clown?" Archie said incredulously.

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "She and Danny are-" She suddenly shut her trap when Lacey and Danny neared the table.

Archie eyed his ex-girlfriend and the former soccer star as they stood in front of the group.

Lacey eyes landed on Regina while Danny eyes scanned the occupants of the table. Danny eyes settled on Archie. A brief smiled touched his lips.

Archie glared at Danny. Danny smile suddenly grew broader. Danny was taunting him. A spurt of breath left Archie's mouth as he redirected his gaze onto Lacey.

"Look at you two" Regina said eyeing her best friend. "What's up?"

"What do you mean...we're-"

"Dating" Danny said cutting Lacey off and shocking them all. They all just stared at him in utter disbelief at his confession. Including Lacey. A satisfied smirk landed on his face. Silence filled the atmosphere.

"Just kidding" He said with a chuckle. Everyone facial expressions seem to relax, though they still looked a bit confused.

"You guys don't have to worry. We're just scene partners. I'm not going to corrupt your lovely friend here" He said eyeing them all before bringing his gaze back to Lacey.

"We didn't think that" Regina said lying with ease. Gosh. She was so glad Danny had only been kidding. She wasn't going to lie. She felt some type of way when Danny said he and Lacey were dating. She had been trying to hit that for the longest. It would be very unfortunate if Lacey got the goods before she did.

"Sure" Danny said with a smirk. Who did Regina think she was fooling? He could tell by the expressions that were plastered on their faces as he and Lacey neared the table that they weren't happy about what they were witnessing. Especially liar liar here. The way blondie was looking.. he thought her eyeballs would pop out of her skull.

"Well, anyways" Regina said, moving on. "Are you guys going to join us?"

"Actually" Lacey said finally speaking. "We were going to join Larry, Moe and Curly over there" Lacey joked, while pointing at the empty table Danny had been occupying for the past two days.

Danny eyes darted over to Lacey's. A smile graced Danny's lips, clearly pleased with Lacey's referencing the joke he made yesterday. Lacey eyes met his, she returned the gesture.

Archie nearly rolled his eyes. What was going on here? Were they really scene partners like he said? Or was something else at play?

Archie didn't have time to entertain this mess.

"Actually Lacey, I wanted to talk to you" He said, making sure to add just enough bass to his voice to let her know that it needed to be discussed right away.

Lacey eyes meet his, he could feel the stares from the others. Especially the icy glare coming from crack pipe here.

"Oh okay" She said, her brown eyes widening a bit.

Lacey turned slightly to address Danny "I'll meet you at the table" She said, he gave a single nod before walking off in the direction of his declared table, at the opposite side of the patio.

"What's up?" She said, eyeing him.

"Can we talk in private?" He asked, which made Lacey extremely nervous. What was this about? She hoped he wasn't trying to get her back. She liked where they were at right now. Friends. That's all she could offer him. Archie wasn't exactly the best boyfriend in the world. She may not have had many boyfriends in her lifetime but she knew what constituted as a good one.

"Sure" She said slowly. She glanced at Regina. Regina gave her a look that said she had no idea what Archie wanted.

"Cool" He said getting up from the table. Lacey and her tray of food followed him over towards the soda machines under the shade.

"What's up?" She asked. "What did you want to talk about?"

Archie let out a deep breath before answering. Which made Lacey extremely nervous. What was he gathering the nerve to ask?

"Do you want to have dinner at my house tonight?" He said, he blurted out the words so quickly. Lacey had no clue Archie was capable of speaking that fast. He was definitely a ball of nerves. Ugh.

"I-I .." Lacey begin. Damn. What was she going to say? She just knew he was going to ask her something like this.

"Wait. That came out wrong" He said shaking his head. Lacey bit down on her bottom lip as she waited for him to continue.

"What I meant to say was Aida misses you and she wants you to come have dinner with us tonight"

"Aida" Lacey said the pitch in her voice raising. Lacey nearly let out a sigh of relief. She was so glad this was about Archie's adorable little sister and not about him trying to get her back.

"Yes. Of course I will. I miss that little munchkin" Lacey said. Her heart truly warmed to hear Aida missed her. God. She missed Aida as well. She absolutely adored the little girl. She reminded Lacey of Clara when she was that age. When Clara was still sweet and innocent and not at all corrupted by society.

"Good" Archie said sounding relieved as well. Lacey smiled, she wasn't used to seeing Archie this way. He was always so confident. It made him seem more human to her to know he got the case of the nerves just like everyone else.

"Okay I'll see you around seven" He said, already starting to sound like his old self again.

"Cool" She said, Archie eyes looked past her as she spoke. She turned around to see what had captured his attention. She was shocked to see Danny looking their way.

"I guess I should get going" She said bringing her eyes back to Archie's. "See you tonight" She said as she claimed her friends attention again.

"Yeah" He said with a nod. "See you later"

Danny eyed Lacey as she made her way towards his table. She had just finish having a conversation with douche bag. Danny wasn't going to lie, he wondered what meathead wanted. Danny knew Lacey was once Archie's. They dated for all of junior year. Archie had sunk his hooves into her before any other guy had a chance too. Not that Danny wanted to. Well, not that he could even if he wanted to. He was a claimed man at the time Lacey first graced her presence at this hell hole that was West Hill High.

He had been all about Nikki at that time in his life. Although he had noticed Lacey right away. He knew right off the bat she was new because he would have remembered such a beautiful creature. He saw her struggling with his old locker when he decided to introduce himself. After that day he and Lacey had only one other encounter worth remembering.

**A year ago...**

Danny was in the mist of his after noon workout session when he saw Lacey Porter sitting on one of the top rows of the bleachers. She was just sitting there with her head down, buried in her phone. Danny had been running up and down the stairs of the bleachers for the past twenty minutes. So clearly she had just taken a seat there. Yep. He loved to get in a good cardio workout in, even on non practice days. He had to stay in tip top shape. Soccer was his life.

"Lacey, hey" He said approaching, while jogging up the stairs.

She immediately looked up at him. "I'm sorry" She said in that sweet voice of hers. Danny had always thought she had a beautiful tone to her voice. Not that he heard it a lot. But when he did, he couldn't help but think how angelic it sounded.

"I'm not bothering you am I?" She continued. Danny positioned himself in front of her. He laughed briefly at her ridiculous question before answering.

"Of course not" He said. "I'm just not used to seeing people out here on non practice days" He folded his arms over his chest as he noticed her gaze travel up and down his body.

Was Lacey Porter checking him out?

No. Of course she wasn't. What was he thinking? She had a boyfriend. Archie Yates. His not so favorite person in the world.

He would never begin to comprehend how Archie 'jerk face' Yates landed one of the hottest yet sweetest girls on the planet.

What did she see in meathead? Did she not know he was literally the worst person to ever walked the face of the planet?

Maybe Danny was exaggerating a bit. There were probably a few killers that were worse than meathead.

"Someone wanted me to meet them here" She said softly, her pretty brown eyes back on his face.

Danny suddenly realized that her eyes were teary. Had she been crying?

"Are you okay?" He asked concerned. Lacey face fell, she looked down at the floor, clearly avoiding his gaze.

"I'm fine" She said in a tone that told him she wasn't fine. He could hear the pain in her voice.

"Lacey, if you're going through something-"

"I'm fine" She repeated in that soft angelic voice of hers, cutting him off in the process. She looked back up at him with a forced smile.

"Okay" He said dropping it. He refused to force someone to talk about their feelings when they clearly didn't want to. He hated when people did that to him.

"I'll get back to my work out" He said getting ready to leave her to her lonesome.

"Is this freak harassing you?" He heard the voice of his mortal enemy say.

"Yeah, she sort of is" Danny said, while glancing up at Archie. Archie glared at him while descending the steps. So douche bag was the person she was supposed to be meeting? Danny wondered if he was also the reason she had been crying.

"Look at that. Desai made a funny" Archie said stopping on the row that Lacey was sitting on.

"Now you can leave" Archie said in a bilious tone. His dark green eyes glaring down at Danny.

God. What was up with Yates? What did all this hatred for him stem from? Danny couldn't understand what he had done in the past to piss off Archie so much.

"See that right there kind of sounded like an order" Danny said wagging his finger as he propped his leg up on the seat of the bleachers. The seat Lacey was sitting on.

Archie rolled his eyes. "That's because it was. Now get the hell out of here before-"

"Archie" Lacey snapped. "Enough" She yelled. Danny looked down at Lacey, she looked extremely upset.

"Danny was here first. If anyone should leave is us" She continued in a tone that Danny had never heard her use before. Her tone was no longer soft and angelic, but laced with venom.

"Lacey I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you more. I'll leave." Danny said removing his leg from the bench.

"No. You stay" She said to Danny. Her eyes then shifted to the left of her, to Archie.

"We're leaving" She said while glaring at his teammate. Danny stood there in silence as he watched Lacey get up and grab her things from the bleachers. She stormed past Archie. Archie gave Danny a cold stare before turning around and following his girlfriend up the steps.

Danny sighed as he watch the couple ascend the stairs. That was undoubtedly one of the last conversations he had with Lacey for the remainder junior year.

**Present time...**

Lacey plopped her tray down on the table snapping Danny out of his thoughts.

"Are you okay?" She said using those same words he had used with her just a year ago.

"You looked out of it" She added, while taking a seat down directly across from him.

"Did I?" He said sort of embarrassed. He hadn't realized how deep in thought he had been.

"Yeah" She said nodding her head. "What were you thinking about?" She asked while popping open her diet coke. She took a sip.

Danny looked down at his bottle of coke, suddenly thirsty. He grabbed it, untwist the cap and took a few swallows before screwing the cap back on.

"Nothing really...Just excited to get started" He lied while bringing his eyes back up to hers. Lacey smiled revealing that dimple of hers.

"Me too" She replied

* * *

After eating. Well, after Lacey ate. Danny and she looked over the scripts that she had printed out. Together they decided on a scene. They chose the scene where Noah confronts Allie about her feelings. The scene in the rain. The scene after their row in the lake. The one right before the beautiful lovemaking occurred.

Lacey thought they made the right decision choosing the scene they did, being it with filled with lots of emotion. Lacey figured they would need a scene where they would be able to tap into their emotional side, show off their acting chops so to speak.

Hopefully they would nail it and win one of the coveted spots for the trip to New York. Lacey needed to win that spot. She needed that spot like she needed air to breath. There was no fucking around on this one. Danny would have to bring his 'A' game. _They_ would. They would have to practice, practice, practice.

Practice makes perfect is what her dad would always say.

Danny glanced up at Lacey as she begin to quietly sing to herself. They were in Drama class sitting side by side studying the scene they had chosen, desperately trying to learn their lines.

"You have a nice voice" Danny said complimenting her. Lacey looked up from her script to glance at Danny. The corners of his mouth tugged up slightly as he eyed her.

"Thanks" She said, before looking back down at the words on the page.

"You ever thought about singing?" He asked "From what I heard you sound pretty good" She sounded more that good. She was clearly a natural. He could tell just by her crooning of a few words.

"Thanks, I umm..trying to pursue that now" Lacey admitted shyly.

"Good. You should" He encouraged. Lacey glanced back up at him.

"You can sing as well, right?" Lacey questioned. She was almost positive she heard him sing on one of those nickelodeon shows.

"Barely" He said. Lacey could tell he was being modest though. If she remembered correctly he had a nice little voice himself. Lacey turned in her seat to face him.

"I prefer to play instruments and write music" He added mimicking her actions. They were now sitting face to face.

"Wow" Lacey said impressed "So you act, sing, write, play instruments..." She said counting off his talents with her fingers. Danny smiled sheepishly.

"I mean, what else do you do?" She added while propping her chin up with her knuckles while her elbow rested on her desk.

"Well.. I like to DJ" He confessed. Lacey mouth hung open. Danny was confused by her stunned expression.

"Are you serious?" She asked, sitting up straight. She leaned in a bit.

He nodded slowly. What was the big deal?

"Regina is looking for someone to DJ her party" She said, the words coming out rushed.

"Is that something you would be interested in doing?" She asked before he got the chance to respond to her last comment.

"Yeah. I mean..I want to get my name out there" Lacey smiled, clearly pleased with his answer.

"And what name is that?" She inquired. She touched his knee. Danny eyes glanced down at the motion.

"Are you _shy_?" She asked, clearly mistaking him looking down as a sign of nervousness. When in actuality he was surprised her hands were on him. He didn't think Lacey had ever touched him before.

"Come on, tell me what is it?" She pressed. Danny eyes flickered back up to her beautiful face. She finally removed her hand.

"Come on. Tell me" She said using both hands to motion for him to come out with it.

"You're the worst" He said with a roll of the eyes. He was just playing with her though. Lacey giggled.

"It's DJ D' Sy" He said making sure to stress the elongation of the 'D'. "Spelled D apostrophe S-y".

"That's cool" She said her hands back on his knee.

"Thanks" He said looking back down at her hand as she started to rub his knee. Danny could feel his heart speed up at her touch. He didn't know why such a simple act could affect him so much. It wasn't like her lips were on him. Danny would surely die if that ever occurred.

"I'll text Regina" She said pulling out her cellphone which required both hands. Danny bit down on his lip as he watched her giddily text her best friend.

Just after the bell rung dismissing them from final period. Lacey turned to Danny.

"We can't practice after school. I have this thing" She said, hoping he wouldn't be too disappointed. She wanted to practice badly but she had promised Archie she'd go have dinner with his family. She couldn't disappoint Aida.

"That's fine" Danny said gathering his belongings. "I have a ton of homework anyway" He continued, while briefly glancing at her.

"I'll call you"

"Okay" She said standing up. He rose out of his seat as well. "See you tomorrow" She said bidding him farewell.

Danny just nodded. She smiled before swinging her purse over her shoulder. Danny inhaled the scent of her as she walked past him, closing his eyes briefly. He quickly opened them and proceeded to watch her as she descended the steps. Lacey must have felt his eyes boring into her back, as for she glanced back. A smile touched her lips. Danny couldn't help but do the same. Her smile was infectious. He brought his left hand up to give her a quick wave. She retuned the motion before quickly turning back around.

Danny face fell as he watched her leave, suddenly realizing the pickle he was in.

* * *

Danny was making his way down the hallway, heading to his locker when he saw Regina posted up at his locker. She slightly leaned on it. Danny eyed her as he continue to approach.

"Danny I need you" She said the moment he stopped in front of her. She proceeded to grab his arm, pulling him closer to her.

"What?" He said confused as to why she was touching him and telling him she needed him. And then it finally hit him...

This must've been about the fact that she desperately needed a DJ for her party on friday.

"I need you to DJ my party" She said finally letting go of his hand, confirming his thoughts.

"I need you bad" She said. Danny almost laughed at how funny those words sounded leaving her lips. Danny stared at the blonde beauty. She looked beyond desperate. He decided to have a bit of fun with her.

"I don't know Regina" He said breaking his eyes away from hers and staring off into the congested hallway of students. He raked his fingers through his hair as he continued to speak. "Fridays a bit of a short notice. I mean it's already Wednesday. That means I'll only have two days to-" She cut him off before he could continue any further.

"Are you serious?" She nearly screamed. She gave him an incredulous look. She was probably wondering why he had told Lacey he would do it but was standing right in front of her telling her something different.

Danny couldn't help but burst into laughter. A look of confusion spread over Regina's face. Clearly wondering why he was laughing hysterically.

"What is funny?" She said through clenched teeth, her eyes bulging out of their sockets.

"It was a joke. I was only kidding" He said chuckling. Why didn't anyone get his sense of humor? Wait. That wasn't entirely true. Lacey did. "Of course I'll DJ your party" He said with a smirk. Regina face finally soften up.

"Oh my god. Thank you" She said clearly relieved. Giving him a huge hug. Danny didn't know whether to hug her back or not. Her actions had completely taken him by surprised. Before he could decide what to do with his hands. She pulled away.

"I owe you big time" She said with a grand smile stretching across her pretty face.

"I'll call you tonight and we can discuss all the details" Regina said her tone a lot chipper than it had been a few minutes ago.

"Alright" Danny said "Sounds good" He nodded while giving a tight lip smile.

Regina grabbed his arm again, while leaning into his ear. "I really do owe you" She said seductively, just above a whisper. Danny pulled back to look at her. He studied her beautiful face. She smiled while biting down on her lip. Danny was completely speechless. Was she saying...

Before he could muster a response she gave him a flirty wink before turning on her heels and walking off.

* * *

"My scene partner is an idiot" Lacey couldn't help but laugh as Phoebe continued to complain about her acting partner Cole Farrell. Phoebe had be going on for nearly half an hour. Lacey was in her walk in closet talking on her cell while trying desperately to pick out an outfit to wear for dinner at the Yates tonight.

"At least he's hot" Lacey teased.

"Oh my god" Phoebe said dramatically. "That's literally the worst part"

Lacey chuckled. "How so?" She said looking through her racks of dresses.

"Because I can't hate him the way I truly want to" Lacey let out another chuckle. Phoebe was a hoot.

"You're silly" She said as she eyed this really pretty navy blue wrap dress she had bought at her favorite store in The Beverly center a few months ago.

"I'm serious. All he has to do is bat those pretty lashes of his and I forget the fact that he suggested that we play The Simpsons" Lacey cackled.

"He is so wrong for that" Lacey said. That made her think of how Danny had suggested Aladdin and Jasmine, but with Danny he had only been joking. According to Phoebe's tell of things, Cole had been serious as a heart attack.

"Tell me about it"

"Well I'm glad you two decided on something" Lacey said. Phoebe had told her she had finally gotten Cole agree to Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater. Ugh. Titanic was like one of the best movies ever. Second after The Notebook.

"Trust me, It wasn't easy" Phoebe complained. "If I hadn't held my ground, we'd be doing Monica and Chandler from friends" Lacey giggled.

"Well I'm glad he came around" Said Lacey.

"_You?_" Phoebe questioned. Lacey laughed. She could just imagine the look on Phoebe's face as she said that line.

"You give that poor boy such a hard time. Are you sure you don't like him?" Lacey questioned as she grabbed the hanger off the rack. She held out the dress in front of her, eyeing it. It was just the perfect balance of casual and dressy.

"Phoebe you there?" She said after Phoebe hadn't responded.

"Oh you were serious with that question" Lacey howled in laughter.

"You know you love him" Lacey teased her good friend.

"Lacey are you sure you're not on medication?" Lacey gasped pretending to be completely appalled by Phoebes comment. Phoebe let out a cackle. Lacey almost laugh at Phoebe's laugh alone. It was quite interesting to say the least.

"Don't ever laugh again" Lacey offered some advise to her friend. "I gotta go babe. I have that thing at Archie's"

"He wants you baccckkk" Phoebe nearly crooned.

"Please don't say that" Lacey said. She prayed to God this dinner was just about Aida and nothing more.

"Okayyyy" Phoebe said with slow deliberation."But I'm just saying.." She continue in her sing-sung voice.

"Well don't" Lacey warned. "Alright, I gotta go. Bye love" Lacey said before hanging up the phone.

Lacey sighed. How dare Phoebe put that out in the universe. It was one thing to think it, but to actually say it. Ugh.

Lacey was in the mist of applying her berry red lipstick to her perfect lips when her ringtone suddenly went off. Iggy Azalea's Fancy blasted as Lacey rushed to her bed to answer it. Maybe it was Danny calling. She figured she could spare a few minutes to chat with him. Or maybe it was Archie calling to cancel their dinner plans. Lacey was surprised to see that it was neither boys.

"Hey Carter" Lacey said pleasantly, answering the phone. Lacey had chatted with Carter after history today, he had wanted to hear her sing. After crooning a little of Adele's Lovesong for him, he said he would be in touch. She had no idea it would be so soon though.

"Lacey" He said sounding so unlike how he did in person. He sounded more mature. Way older then the seventeen year old that he truly was.

"Are you busy?" He asked. Lacey bit down on her bottom lip before answering.

"Well, actually I was just heading out to this thing" She admitted, being completely honest.

"Cancel it" He ordered.

"I need you stop by my house _now_. There's someone I want you to meet"

**A/N Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Drop me some feedback peeps. Remember Reviews=Updates!**


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